INTERIOR    DECORATION 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  •   BOSTON   •    CHICAGO  •   DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •   SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LIMITED 

LONDON  •   BOMBAY  •   CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  LTD. 

TORONTO 


Interior  Decoration 


FOR   THE   SMALL   HOME 


BY 

AMY   L.   ROLFE,   M.A. 

M 

INSTRUCTOR  OF  HOME   ECONOMICS,   UNIVERSITY 
OF   MONTANA 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 
1917 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1917, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 

Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  March,  1917. 


Norfoooti 

J.  8.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


TO   MY   FATHER 


•  ' 

359858 


PREFACE 

IT  has  been  the  purpose  to  bring  together  in 
this  book  the  chief  principles  of  art  as  they  may 
be  applied  to  the  furnishing  of  homes  of  people 
of  moderate  means.  Many  volumes  have  been 
written  upon  the  subject  of  house  furnishing 
which  describe  in  great  detail  the  expensive  furni- 
ture, rugs,  and  tapestries  which  can  be  purchased 
only  by  those  few  individuals  who  are  also  finan- 
cially able  to  employ  professional  interior  deco- 
rators and  who  for  that  reason  have  less  need  for 
a  simple  guide.  It  is  the  people  who  must  make 
their  own  selections  of  furnishings  and  plan  their 
arrangement  who  especially  require  some  economic 
and  artistic  knowledge  on  the  subject,  so  that  they 
may  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of  beauty  and 
convenience  for  the  least  expenditure.  If  they 
understand  color  and  form  harmony  in  the  essen- 
tial relation  to  artistic  unity,  they  should  then  have 
sufficient  confidence  to  express  some  of  their  own 
individuality  in  their  homes  as  they  endeavor  to 

vi! 


viii  PREFACE 

combine  the  ideal  with  the  practical.  Beauty  and 
suitability  will  by  this  means  be  the  result  of  a 
conscious  obedience  to  the  laws  of  art. 

The  author  gratefully  acknowledges  the  help- 
ful criticism  of  Miss  Anna  Cooley  of  Columbia 

University. 

AMY  L.  ROLFE. 

BOZEMAN,  MONT., 
February,  1917. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION •  •    xvii 

The  Difference  between  House  and  Home  — The 
Homemaker  as  Interior  Decorator. 

CHAPTER  I 

WALLS  AND  CEILINGS      .        .        ...        .       .        i 

The  Treatment  of  Walls  and  Ceilings  regarding 
Color,  Value,  Subordination  —  Choice  and  Arrange- 
ment of  Wall  Decorations. 

CHAPTER  II 

WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT    .        .      12 

The  Use  of  Curtains  as  a  Decorative  Medium  — 
Colors  —  Values  —  Textures  —  Cost. 

CHAPTER  III 

THE  FINISHING  OF  FLOORS 31 

The  Treatment  of  Wood  Floors,  Old  and  New  — 
The  Use  of  Linoleum,  Tiles,  and  Cement  for  Floor 
Coverings. 

be* 


X  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   IV 

PAGE 

DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS 38 

The  Treatment  of  Floors  regarding  Color,  Value, 
Subordination  —  Different  Varieties  of  Domestic  Make 
and  their  Relative  Cost.  « 

CHAPTER  V 

ORIENTAL  RUGS       .        • 50 

The  ^Esthetic  Appeal  of  the  Oriental  Rug  —  The 
Four  Principal  Classes  and  Some  Subdivisions  —  Risks 
Encountered  in  Purchasing. 

CHAPTER  VI 

A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE 61 

The  Home  of  jjAncient  and  Medieval  Times  and  Its 
Furniture  —  The  Renaissance  —  Period  Styles  of  Fur- 
niture—  The  Modern  Reawakening. 

CHAPTER  VII 

MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     .        .        .81 

Types  of  the  Antiques  which  are  Reproduced  — 
Consistent  Use  of  Period  Styles  in  the  Various  Rooms 
of  the  Home  —  Bisymmetric  and  Occult  Balance  — 
Comfort. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

FURNITURE  OF  MODERN  DESIGN      .....     100 

A  Reflection  of  the  Spirit  of  To-day  —  Different 
Styles  which  may  be  Purchased  and  Their  Use  in  the 
Home  —  Rugs,  Upholstery,  and  Wall  Coverings  which 
Harmonize. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  xi 

CHAPTER   IX 

FACE 

FURNITURE  WOODS  .        „*      .       .     '  .        .' .      .        .108 

Mahogany  —  Oak  —  Ash  —  Red  Gum  —  Walnut  — 
Maple  —  Beech  —  Birch  —  Rosewood  —  Veneered 
Furniture. 

CHAPTER  X 
THE  FIREPLACE  IN  THE  HOME        .        .        .        .        *     117 

Esthetic  Value  —  Historical  Significance  —  Period 
Styles  —  Arrangement  of  Furniture  about  Fireplace  — 
Materials. 

CHAPTER  XI 
ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING       .        .        ."'.       .       .        .    127 

The  Importance  of  Artificial  Light  as  a  Part  of  a 
Scheme  of  Interior  Decoration  —  A  Brief  History  — 
Period  Styles,  Arrangement  —  Colors  and  Materials  of 
Shades. 

CONCLUSION      ...        .        ...       ,        .    138 

Interior  Decoration  as  Art  —  How  Knowledge  of  the 
Subject  may  be  Gained  —  Suitability  of  Each  Room 
and  of  the  House  as  a  Whole  to  Its  Use  —  Sincerity  in 
the  Outward  Expression  of  the  Owner's  Personality. 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  charming  but  dignified  entrance  hall.  The  antique 
Chinese  rugs  harmonize  well  with  the  Chippendale 
wing  chair  and  with  the  ^Chinese  Chippendale 
table .  Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Paneled  walls  give  a  dignity  to  this  dining  room  which 
could  have  been  obtained  by  no  other  means.  The 
furniture  is  of  the  William  and  Mary  period  *  6 

Reproductions  of  well-known  masterpieces  are  inexpen- 
sive and  effective  as  wall  decorations.  The  furni- 
ture is  of  the  Queen  Anne  period  .  *  .  .  7 

The  height  of  this  Sheraton  dining-room  is  emphasized 
by  the  use  of  narrow,  straight  window  hangings 
without  a  valance  ,  »  •  «  »  *  2O 

The  arrangement  of  the  sheer  muslin  curtains  seemingly 
lowers  the  height  of  this  Colonial  room.  The  de- 
sign of  the  sofa  is  American  Empire  .  .„  4!  .  21 

The  dark  stain  of  the  floor  of  this  living-room  makes  a 
pleasing  background  for  the  furnishings  —  a  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  high-boy,  Windsor  and  Hepplewhite 
shield-back  chairs,  and  a  gate-leg  table  ...  34 

Tiles  make  the  ideal  floor  for  the  kitchen       .         .  35 

This  plain  rug  with  banded  border  makes  an  excellent 

background  for  the  William  and  Mary  furniture  .  42 

Finely  figured  domestic  rugs  are  well  suited  for  use  in 
entrance  halls.  The  armchair  is  of  the  period  of 
Charles  II  .  ...  ...  .  .43 


XIV  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Persian  prayer  rug,  i6th  century  .        .        .  52 

Turkoman  rug       .       '.  9      .        .        .        .        .        •      52 
Chinese  rug,  camel's  hair,  i8th  century         •         •         •       S3 

Caucasian  rug,  i8th  century S3 

A  handsome  Chippendale  secretary,  chair,  and  table     .       74 
A  Sheraton  secretary  and  a  reed-bottomed  chair  of  early 

Colonial  days          . 75 

A  part  of  a  Chippendale  dining-room.     Chinese  influence 

is  plainly  shown  in  the  detail  of  ornament      .         .      76 
A  Hepplewhite  dining-room  which  is  restful  in  its  sim- 
plicity    ...  .  ...      77 

Attractive  dining-room  furniture  of  the  Adam  style. 
The  arrangement  shows  the  use  of  bisymmetric 

balance  .        *        . 86 

An  example  of  occult  balance.  The  group  formed  by 
the  Chippendale  wing  chair  and  the  Jacobean  table 
and  chair  balances  the  piano  at  the  other  side  of  the 

room       .         .         . 87 

The  furniture  in  this  living  room  centers  about  the  fire- 
place. The  stool  in  the  foreground  is  of  the  William 
and  Mary  period  and  the  table  possesses  Adam  and 

Hepplewhite  characteristics 90 

The  single-toned  rug  in  this  Colonial  living-room  is  well 
subordinated  in  color  and  tone  to  the  rest  of  the  fur- 
nishings. The  informal  use  of  bisymmetric  balance 

is  especially  worthy  of  note 91 

This  playroom  is  large,  light,  airy,  and  simply  furnished, 
but  the  rocker  has  arms  with  dangerously  sharp 

elbows    .        .         . 102 

A  "  baby  pen  "  with  Chinese  counters  that  would  afford 
endless  amusement,  and  a  hobby-horse  that  looks 

as  sportive  as  he  is  safe 103 

A  charming  cottage  living-room  in  which  wicker  furni- 
ture predominates  .  .  .  .  .  .  106 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  XV 

FACING  PAGE 

Wicker,  reed,  or  grass  furniture  is  especially  well  suited 

for  use  on  the  porch  or  in  the  sun  parlor  .  .  107 

The  dull  polish  which  the  Puritans  gave  to  their  furni- 
ture brought  out  the  beautiful  grain  of  the  wood  .  no 

The  reproductions  of  Colonial  furniture  have  broad,  un- 

ornamented  spaces  which  show  the  fine  finish  .  in 

A  classic  fireplace  of  unusual  beauty  which  harmonizes 

well  with  the  Georgian  furniture  .  -  .  .  .  120 

No  living-room  is  complete  without  a  fireplace  about 

which  the  furniture  may  be  centered  .  .  .  121 

Lighting  fixtures  may  follow  the  styles  of  the  various 

types  of  period  furniture  .  .  .  .  .  132 

Where  side  lights  are  used  as  ornamental  fixtures  no 
pictures  are  needed  upon  the  walls.  The  furniture 
is  a  modern  design  patterned  after  Sheraton  .  133 

This  dining-room  suggests  at  once  the  personality  of  its 
owner.  The  same  material  is  used  for  the  chair 
coverings  and  the  side  hangings  at  the  windows,  to 
give  touches  of  intense  color  .  .  .  .  .  144 

A  charming  guest  room  in  a  country  home  which  is  suffi- 
ciently impersonal  to  suit  change  of  guests.  The 
furniture  is  of  the  William  and  Mary  design  .  .145 


INTRODUCTION 

The  Difference  Between  House  and  Home — The  Home- 
maker  as  Interior  Decorator. 

THERE  is  an  especial  meaning  attached  to 
the  term  "home"  which  is  entirely  distinctive. 
The  humblest  cottage  may  be  a  home  House  or 
—  the  most  beautiful  mansion  may  Home? 
be  merely  a  work  of  decorative  art.  Almost 
every  one  interested  in  home  furnishing  has 
walked  through  the  model  apartments  of 
some  large  furnishing  house  and  has  had  the 
inevitable  experience  of  disappointment.  The 
rooms  may  be  well  planned,  the  windows 
properly  placed,  the  walls  and  floors  satis- 
factorily finished,  and  the  furniture  of  the 
most  correct  and  graceful  lines,  but  still 
there  remained  a  feeling  of  emptiness  of 
meaning,  a  lack  of  the  home  atmosphere. 
It  was  impossible  to  forget  that  the  rooms 
were  exhibition  rooms  only. 

xvy 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

A  series  of  such  model  rooms  could  never 

be  mistaken  for  a  home  for  the  reason  that 

the  personal,  the  human  element,  is 

ing6  of  tin"  lacking.     A   house,   to   be   a   home, 


t  „  must  be  adapted  to  some  individual 
or  individuals  composing  a  family 
group.  It  must  contain  only  that  which 
is  useful  and  suitable  to  its  daily  occupants 
and  should  reflect  their  physical,  mental, 
and  spiritual  activities.  If  the  man  of  the 
family  is  fond  of  books  and  of  study,  there 
should  be  a  well-chosen  library  in  the  house, 
but  if  he  is  more  interested  in  games  and  out- 
of-door  sports,  that  room  which  might  have 
been  admirable  as  a  library  might  better 
be  put  to  other  uses  more  suited  to  an  athletic 
taste.  An  unused  music  room  is  the  most 
dismal  of  places  and  is  reminiscent  of  ances- 
tral parlors  opened  only  upon  the  state  occa- 
sion of  funeral  or  wedding. 

So,    in    furnishing    a    home,    there    should 
be    nothing    placed    within    the    four    walls 

Suitability    wnicn    '1S    not    useful    and    suitable 
in  Fur-        to  the  people  who  shall  live  there. 

nishings 


at  the  same  time  there  should  be  a  constant 
thought  and  a  constant  care  to  keep  a  feeling 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

of  harmony  between  each  and  all  of  the 
features  of  the  home.  The  interior  of  a 
cottage  or  a  mansion  may  be  useful  and 
may  be  suitable,  and  may  have  a  true  home 
atmosphere,  but  it  may  still  be  very  unbeau- 
tiful. 

Many  home  builders  of  more  than  moder- 
ate means  secure  the  services  of  an  expert 
interior  decorator  who  works  with  , 

ine 

the  master  and  mistress  of  the  house,  Amateur 
advising,  correcting,  and  often  taking  JJJ^J. 
complete  charge  of  the  finishing  of  sionai 
the  walls  and  floors  and  the  buying 
of    the    furniture,    hangings,   and    rugs.     To 
the  people  possessed  of  more  slender  purses, 
however,  the  services  of  such  an  artist  are 
out  of  the  question,  and  in  some  cases  this 
may  be  a  blessing.     There  is   a  joy  in  the 
proper   assembling  of  those   household   fur- 
nishings, usually  for  a  lifetime,  which  is  unique. 
If  each  chair  and  table  is  carefully  selected 
to  fill  some  especial  need,  if  it  is  repeatedly 
considered  in   relation  to  its  harmony  with 
neighboring  pieces  of  furniture  in  the  partic- 
ular room  where  it  shall  be  placed,  if   it   is 
wished  for,  saved  for,  and  finally  purchased, 
there   is   a  joy  in   possession  through   effort 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

which  makes  that  table  or  chair,  in  its  new 
setting,  at  once  a  comfortable  friend.  The 
employer  of  an  interior  decorator  may  admire 
the  harmonious  interior  of  his  new  home 
immensely,  but  it  is  some  months  before  he 
can  really  love  the  individual  pieces  of  furni- 
ture. They  may  be  beautiful  and  adapted 
to  his  personality  and  use,  but  there  is  no 
way  to  buy  their  friendship.  The  daily 
association,  alone,  can  bring  that. 

Knowledge        rp,,  «  .  , 

of  Art  1  he  man  who  wishes   to   act   as 

Principles    nis  own  interior  decorator  must  first 

is  Essential  ,  p 

study  the  general  rules  or  art  and 
apply  them  to  his  problem.  The  principles 
of  balance,  harmony,  and  rhythm  are  as 
applicable  to  the  plans  of  a  room  or  a  house 
as  they  are  to  the  plan  of  a  picture. 


INTERIOR    DECORATION 


INTERIOR   DECORATION 

CHAPTER  I 
WALLS  AND  CEILINGS 

The  Treatment  of  Walls  and  Ceilings  regarding  Color, 
Value,  Subordination,  —  Choice  and  Arrangement 
of  Wall  Decorations. 

FORTUNATE  indeed  is  he  who  has  the  privi- 
lege of  building  his  home  after  individ- 
ual plans  suited  to  his  own  uses  __. 

mi  r  •        Wnentne 

and    tastes.     Then,    after    the    site  House  is 
and  style  have  been  determined,  a  New 
general   plan   of  the   interior   can   be   easily 
and  pleasantly  evolved.     Often  the  architect 
is  also  an  interior  decorator  of  no  little  abil- 
ity, and  he  can  safely  be  allowed  to  suggest 
a  harmonious  scheme  for  walls,  ceilings,  and 
furniture. 

However,  the  pleasure  of  planning  and 
building  is  vouchsafed  to  a  comparative  few. 
The  usual  person  must  live  in  house  or  apart- 

B  I. 


INTERIOR  DECORATION 


ment  originally  designed  for  another,  or,  worse, 

designed  for  any  possible  renter.     He  must 

often  adjust  himself  to  an  environment 

Where  the    r        -  i  -  j          1       i  • 

House  has   foreign  to  his  nature  and  make  his 

been  built    nome  within  walls  at  variance  with 
by  Another   ,  .     .  ,      ,         ,_,...  ,  , 

his  ideals.  1ms  is  no  easy  task  and 
yet  every  home  maker  can  control,  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  the  finish  of  the  walls  and  ceilings, 
and  the  furnishings  of  the  rooms  wherein  he 
dwells,  and  make  them  speak  of  his  personal- 
ity and  the  personality  of  his  family. 

Much  can  be  accomplished  by  refmishing 
the  woodwork  and  doing  over  the  walls  and 
Chan  es  ce^ngs-  If  tne  problem  is  a  rented 
which  can  house  or  apartment,  the  landlord  may 
be  made  not  ^Q  willing  to  make  changes,  but 
can  usually  be  persuaded  to  allow  the  tenant 
to  redecorate  at  his  own  expense.  Such 
expense  may  be  made  very  slight  by  using 
the  proper  materials,  and  there  is  nothing 
so  necessary  in  good  interior  decorating  as 
well-toned  woodwork,  walls,  and  ceiling.  A 
well-furnished  room  makes  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture, and  a  beautiful  picture  must  have  a 
beautiful  background. 

The  dominant  color  used  in  a  room,  and 
the  contrasting  and  combined  effects  of  other 


WALLS  AND  CEILINGS  3 

shades  employed,  are  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance. Although  physiologists  have  long 

known  that  colors  affect  the  temper-  , 

.     ,.„.  ,     Color 

ament  in  different  ways,  many  people 

fail  to  profit  by  this  when  they  select  colors 
for  their  home.  Rooms  should  be  decorated 
in  colors  appropriate  to  their  use,  but  also 
to  the  feelings  and  actions  of  the  occupant* 
Where  contrast  is  used,  it  should  be  agree- 
able and  interesting.  Where  there  is  nf 
contrast,  one  tone  should  melt  softly  into 
another,  making  a  completed  color  scheme. 

A  dark  woodwork  with  a  light  wall  is  n®t 
usually  agreeable.  A  fairly  light  wall  is 
often  desirable,  so,  for  this  reason, 
the  woodwork  should  be  finished  in 
a  medium  shade,  or  enameled  white  or  ivory. 
Ivory  is  especially  suited  to  the-  bedrooms 
and,  in  a  colonial  home,  is  admirable  in  the 
living  and  dining  rooms.  It  is  well  to  adhere 
to  the  plan  of  finishing  the  standing  wood- 
work in  adjoining  rooms  in  the  same  color, 
or  varying  shades  of  the  same  color.  The 
walls,  too,  of  the  different  rooms  should  show 
no  crude  contrast,  but  should  harmonize  well, 
and  the  ceiling  color  should  show  a  tone 
slightly  lighter  than  that  of  the  side  wall. 


4  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

If  the  home  is  an   apartment  or  a  small 
cottage,  it  will  usually  be  found  well  to  have 

the  same  tone  of  woodwork  and  the 
fected  by  same  tone  of  wall  in  all  the  adjoining 
Color  and  rOoms.  A  surprising  impression  of 

additional  space  can  be  effected  in 
this  way.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  rooms 
are  overlarge  and  cold  in  character,  the 
best  plan  is  to  finish  the  standing  woodwork 
in  a  darker  tone,  and  place  a  more  deep  value 
upon  the  side  walls. 

Architecturally,  the  proportions  of  a  room 
must  be  good  in  order  to  give  a  proper  back- 

ground for  the  beauties  of  the  fore- 

Propor-  i        Tr     1  M-  i 

tionsof  ground.  If  the  ceilings  are  too  low, 
*arentiap~  additional  height  may  seemingly  be 
effected  by  gained  by  placing  the  picture  mold- 


at  t1C  Vei*y  t0P  °    t1C  SC  Wa>  °r 

turaiDe-  even,  at  times,  bringing  the  tone  of 
the  side  wall  six  inches  over  on  to  the 
ceiling,  terminated  there  by  a  molding. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ceilings  are  too 
high  for  the  size  of  the  room,  the  picture 
molding  should  be  placed  at  a  distance  of 
a  third  of  the  side  wall  from  the  ceiling,  and 
the  tone  of  the  ceiling  brought  down  to  the 
molding. 


WALLS  AND  CEILINGS  5 

Tones  of  cream  and  brown,  gray,  and  occa- 
sionally green,  are  usually  best  for  the  hall, 
living  and  dining  rooms.  Cream  suitability 
and  brown  belong  to  the  warm  colors  of  Particu- 
and  should  be  used  on  the  north  side  to  individ- 
of  the  house  or  where  there  is  little  ^  Rooms 
sunshine.  Gray  is  a  cold  color  and  is  often 
admirable  in  a  well-lighted,  sunny  room, 
containing  vivid  hangings,  upholstery,  or 
tapestry.  Green,  as  a  wall  tone,  should  be 
carefully  considered  before  it  is  used.  Un- 
informed or  unscrupulous  merchants  some- 
times sell  wall  papers  and  stains  containing 
a  dangerously  large  quantity  of  arsenic. 
For  this  reason  it  is  well  to  have  a  green  wall 
finish  tested  by  a  reliable  chemist  before  it 
is  used.  As  a  wall  color  it  is  restful  and  is 
adapted  to  use  in  a  well-lighted  library  or 
living  room.  In  the  bedrooms  light  walls 
should  always  be  used.  A  bedroom  should 
be  dainty,  and  only  light  colors  are  dainty. 
A  soft  blue  tone  may  be  used  only  on  the 
south  side  of  the  house,  for  blue  is  a  cold 
color,  almost  colder  than  gray,  and  is  apt 
to  give  a  gloomy  effect  to  a  room  with  a 
northern  exposure.  If  you  have  a  dark, 
dismal  room,  use  a  pale  yellow  tone  for  the 


6  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

walls.  You  will  be  surprised  at  the  effect 
of  sunlight. 

The  whole  trend  of  present-day  decora- 
tionlis  toward  the  psychological  use  of  color. 
Ps  cholo  *  Instead  of  the  vivid,  figured  wall 
calUseof  papers,  plain  painted  or  papered 
walls  which  are  restful  are  now  used. 
What  sick  person  has  not  feverishly  counted 
and  recounted  the  dancing  stripes  and  fig- 
ures on  walls  and  ceilings,  and  longed  for  a 
single  flat  tone  of  color  to  rest  his  tired  eyes. 
But  equally  important  is  the  artistic  side. 
As  the  wall  is  the  background  for  the  room, 
it  must  be  quiet  and  stay  back  in  its  proper 
perspective.  Flat  tone,  washable  wall  paints 
are  now  on  the  market  and  are  cheap  and 
satisfactory.  Good  ingrain,  oatmeal,  and  bur- 
lap paper  are  also  to  be  had,  at  about  the 
same  cost,  but  of  course  are  not  as  sanitary 
as  washable  tints. 

Wood-paneled  rooms  are  very  beautiful 
and  are  seen  far  too  seldom.  While  they 
Paneled  are  of  course  more  expensive,  there 
WaUs  is  still  a  richness  given  by  a  high 
wainscoting  and  a  beamed  ceiling  which 
may  compensate  for  the  extra  cost.  Com- 
paratively inexpensive  building  materials  can 


WALLS  AND  CEILINGS  7 

be  selected  and  satisfactorily  stained,  thus 
eliminating  much  expense.  A  paneled  wall 
in  natural  color  wood  adds  dignity  to  a  library 
or  dining  room,  while  even  a  bedroom  is 
charming  with  ivory  panels.  If  pictures  are 
desired  on  the  walls  of  a  paneled  room,  they 
should  be  unframed  and  merely  fitted  into 
the  panels  of  the  wainscoting  with  a  narrow 
molding  matching  the  woodwork.  A  formal 
arrangement  is  most  pleasing.  One  charm- 
ing bedroom  which  I  saw  recently  had  the 
entire  side  walls  paneled  in  deep  ivory.  On 
either  side  of  a  slender,  built-in  dressing  table 
a  long  panel  was  fitted  with  a  soft  mural 
painting,  done  in  oil  on  canvas.  I  have  also 
seen  similar  effects  by  the  use  of  good  repro- 
ductions in  lithographs,  shellacked  after  fitting 
in  the  panels. 

An  equally  formal  and  artistic  arrangement 
of  pictures  may  be  carried  out  in  the  simpler 

homes  where  the  walls  are  painted 

,     .  ,    .  T  T        Pictures  as 

or   papered    in    a    plain   tone.     Un-  Formal 


framed  pictures  for  each   room  are 
carefully  selected.     Then   a   narrow 
molding   is   secured    and   painted  or  stained 
to  exactly  match  the  woodwork  of  the  room 
or  rooms  in  which  it  is  to  be  used.     The  fin- 


8  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ished  molding  should  then  be  taken  to  a 
cabinet  maker  to  be  used  as  frames  for  the 
selected  pictures.  These  pictures  should  have 
no  mats  and  should  be  hung  flat  on  the  wall 
with  screws  and  eyes. 

When  no  formal  effect  is  desired  and  where 
there  is  a  variety  in  the  style  and  framing 

The  °^  t^ie  pictures>  there  are  several  gen- 

Hanging  eral  rules  which  it  is  well  to  follow. 
of  Pictures  jn  tjie  mam>  pictures  should  be  hung 

on  a  level  with  the  eye,  so  they  can  be  in- 
spected with  comfort.  Scenes  showing  great 
altitude,  such  as  of  mountains,  or  pictures 
claiming  adoration,  as  the  Madonnas,  may, 
however,  be  placed  above  the  level  of  the 
eye.  There  should  be  no  pictures  hung  in 
the  hall  and  only  formal  pictures  in  the 
dining  room.  Ancestral  portraits  and  old 
prints  of  historical  scenes  are  suitable  for 
the  library,  while  etchings,  sepia  prints,  and 
color  photogravures  are  charming  in  the  liv- 
ing room.  Framed  photographs  of  family 
and  friends  should  be  reserved  for  the  bed- 
rooms, if  it  is  wished  to  see  them  on  the  walls 
at  all.  The  casual  caller  has  little  or  no 
interest  in  them. 

Original  paintings  to  adorn  the  home  should 


WALLS  AND  CEILINGS  9 

not  be  purchased  unless  the  purse  and  artis- 
tic knowledge  of  the  buyer  are  sufficiently 
large  to  insure  true  works  of  art.  choice  of 
Reproductions  of  recognized  master-  Pictures 
pieces  are  always  safe  and  may  be  obtained 
at  very  reasonable  prices.  Millet,  Corot, 
and  Jacques,  who  idealized  the  life  and  home 
of  the  French  peasants,  Whistler  in  his 
works  in  black  and  white,  Abbey,  Sargent, 
Kenyon  Cox,  and  many  other  great  painters 
have  given  us  pictures  which  are  now  beauti- 
fully copied  and  which  we  can  all  enjoy. 
Prints  of  the  ruins  of  the  Greek  Parthenon 
or  Temple  of  Athena,  the  Roman  Forum 
and  Colosseum,  are  also  interesting.  For 
informal  breakfast  rooms  and  for  bedrooms 
soft  Japanese  prints  are  excellent. 

The  size  and  character  of  the  picture,  the 
size  of  the  wall  space,  and  the  character 
of  the  other  pictures  to  be  placed  on  Group  Ar- 
the  same  wall  determine  the  group  rangement 
arrangement  of  the  hanging.  Large  pictures 
should  be  hung  alone  on  a  wall  space.  Small 
pictures  should  be  grouped  together,  with- 
out any  attempt  at  symmetry.  Heavy  pic- 
tures only  should  be  suspended  from  the 
picture  molding,  and  then  by  two  parallel 


10  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

wires,  from  two  hooks.  One  hook  should 
never  be  used,  as  the  angle  formed  by  the 
single  wire  is  unrelated  to  the  straight  lines 
of  the  wall  and  picture  frame. 

Occasionally  the  fortunate  home  maker 
possesses  a  piece  of  fine  tapestry.  Nothing 
Ancient  could  be  more  beautiful  hung  upon 
Needle-  the  wall  of  the  living  room,  if  the 
as  Wall  colors  blend  well  with  the  furnishings. 
Decoration  Qld  samplers  may  be  framed  for  pro- 
tection and  hung  in  the  hall  above  the  card 
table. 

The  lack  of  culture  and  refinement  in  the 
occupants  of  a  household  is  more  often  re- 
importance  veale<3  in  poor  choice  of  pictures  and 
of  Careful  wall  decorations  than  in  any  other 
section  wav<  AS  careful  attention  should 
be  given  to  this  phase  of  furnishing  as  to  the 
items  more  usually  considered  important. 

REFERENCES 
DE  WOLFE,  ELSIE 
The  House  in  Good  Taste. 

The  Century  Company,  New  York,  1913. 

Walls,  Chapter  V. 
DUVEEN,  EDWARD  J. 
Colour  in  the  Home. 
George  Allen  &  Co.,  London. 
Decoration,  Chapter  VI. 


WALLS  AND  CEILINGS  II 

HERTS,  B.  RUSSELL 

The  Decoration  and  Furnishing  of  Apartments. 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York,  1915. 

Backgrounds,  Part  I,  Chapter  IV. 
PARSONS,  FRANK  ALVAH 
Interior  Decoration,  Its  Principles  and  Practice. 

Doubleday,  Page  &  Company,  Garden  City,  N.  Y.,  1915. 
Pictures,  pp.  251-259. 
Hanging,  pp.  259-263. 
SPARROW,  W.  SHAW 
Hints  on  House  Furnishing. 

John  Lane  Company,  New  York,  1909. 
Walls,  Chapters  I,  II. 


CHAPTER  II 

WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT 

The  Use  of  Curtains  as  a  Decorative  Medium  —  Colors 
—  Values  —  Textures  —  Cost. 

THE  windows  of  a  room,  together  with  their 
hangings,  constitute  a  very  important  item 
The  Need  m  the  general  scheme  of  interior 
of  Curtains  decoration.  Most  windows  should, 
of  course,  be  curtained  in  some  way  to  insure 
privacy,  to  soften  the  light,  and  to  add  to 
beauty.  There  is  no  one  feature  of  house 
furnishing  which  as  quickly  tends  to  give 
a  home-like  atmosphere  as  proper  curtains 
and  draperies  at  the  windows.  A  room 
which  has  looked  bleak  and  bare  seems  to 
become  livable,  at  once,  when  some  suitable, 
thin  fabric  is  hung  at  the  windows. 

A  well-tested    theory  in   connection  with 
_  ^  .         curtains  is  that,   in   the  decorative 

Curtains 

used  as  a    scheme  of  the  room  in  which  they  are 


placed,  the  curtains  form  the  transi- 
dium  in  a  tion  between  the  walls  and  ceilings 
Room  and  the  furniture.  In  painting  a 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT      13 

picture  three  values  must  always  be  consid- 
ered, the  foreground,  the  middle  distance, 
and  the  background.  Each  has  its  own 
place,  yet  there  must  be  a  pleasing  transition 
from  one  value  to  another.  If  the  age-old 
art  principles  of  unity,  harmony,  and  rhythm 
are  observed,  there  is  a  complete  continuity 
in  progression  from  foreground  to  background. 
A  beautiful  room  is  a  picture,  so,  the  furni- 
ture, being  the  most  important  feature,  should 
be  conspicuous  as  foreground,  the  curtains  as 
middle  distance,  and  the  walls  and  ceiling  as 
background.  The  furniture  of  a  room  should 
be  strong  in  line  and  tone,  and  the  walls  should 
be  reticent  and  delicate  in  color.  The  curtains, 
then,  must  be  the  harmonizing  link  between, 
giving  a  final  touch  of  beauty  and  grace. 

Few  home  makers  realize  that  the  shape, 
size,    and    method    of   hanging    the 
draperies  of  a  window  often  seem  to  tectural 
alter  the  entire  architectural  struc-  Structure 

r     i  ,  r     ,       of  Room 

ture  oi  the  room,  and  even  of  the  and  Win- 
window  opening  itself.     If  a  room  is  dow  ef" 

i  «i     j  rr  r  i      •    i        f  ected  by 

low  ceiled,  an  effect  of  greater  height  Method  of 


may  be  gained  by  using  narrow 
side  hangings  at  the  windows, 
falling  in  straight  lines  from  the  rods  at  the 


DCCOtATOW 

very  top  of  the  window  to  a  distance  of  two 
feet  below  the  window  till.  If  the  material 
of  these  side  hangings  is  heavy  and  rich, 
these  strips  may  be  made  as  narrow  as  eight- 
een inches,  without  a  sacrifice  of  dignity. 
No  blinds  should  be  used  with  these  side 
hanging*,  but  soft,  straight  curtain*  of  some 
sheer  material  are  used  inside,  next  to  the 
glass.  Side  hangings  may  also  be  used  in 
a  room  which  is  unfortunately  too  high  in 
ceiling.  In  this  case  the  hangings  should  be 
broader  and  should  extend  only  from  the 
lower  edge  of  the  woodwork  at  the  top  of 
the  window,  down  to  the  window  silL  Across 
die  top  a  rather  deep  valance  should  be 
placed.  When  the  thin  inner  curtain*  are 
draped  back,  the  slanting  lines  so  formed, 
although  not  usually  to  be  recommended  from 
an  artistic  point  of  view,  still  tend  to  give 
even  greater  breadth. 

If  the  window*  of  a  room  are  few  in  num- 
ber and  too  small  to  let  in  a  sufficient  amount 
of  light,  great  care  should  be  used  in 
the  curtain*.  Only  the  thinnest 
MdFMrte  fabric  should  be  used  next  to  the 
**•**  glass,  and  if  hangings  are  desired  at 
the  sides  they  may  be  placed  beyond  the 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT      15 

edge  of  the  window  opening,  covering  the 
woodwork.  This  is  also  a  good  treatment 
for  a  window,  when  the  woodwork  is  unpleas- 
ant in  color  or  form.  However,  when  the 
woodwork  is  well  designed,  it  is  always, 
best  to  show  it,  for  it  gives  the  window  a. 
point  of  unity  with  the  rest  of  the  room. 

If  it  is  felt  that  there  must  be  roller  shades, 
they  should  be  drawn  up  to  the  very  top  of 
the  windows,  out  of  sight,  during  the  Sunshine 
daylight  hours.  It  is  never  a  mis-  Better  than 
take  to  let  sunshine  into  the  house,  Shades 
even  if  it  does  fade  the  rugs  and  discolor  the 
wall  paper.  It  is  better  to  have  a  healthy, 
and  therefore  happy,  home  than  an  unfaded 
gloom.  People  often  speak  of  the  effect  of 
restfulness  of  a  dimly  lighted  room,  but,  in 
reality,  strained  eyes  are  too  often  the  price 
which  is  paid  for  that  form  of  dusky  cosiness. 
It  is  always  best  to  let  in  all  the  light  possible, 
merely  softened  with  the  sheerest  of  curtains. 

The  roller  shade  which  is  in  general  use 

in  the  majority  of  houses  is  not  really 

•   i  iv      Roller 

essential   to    any    room   where    the  shades 

windows     are    properly    curtained.  Unn«»»-   , 

The  draperies  next  to  the  glass  will 

keep  out  the  crude  light  from  the  room,  and 


l6  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

will  insure  sufficient  privacy.  If,  in  the 
evening,  heavier  curtains  are  desired,  the 
side  hangings  may  be  arranged  so  that  they 
can  be  drawn  across  the  window,  by  the  aid 
of  a  simple  pulley  arrangement  with  cord 
and  tassel  at  the  side.  This  avoids  the 
necessity  for  the  roller  shade,  which  is  never 
beautiful,  is  often  hanging  askew  or  is  out 
of  order,  and  as  generally  used  keeps  out  too 
much  light.  An  otherwise  pleasing  room 
is  sometimes  spoiled  by  the  various  roller 
shades  at  its  windows  hanging  crookedly, 
or  at  different  levels. 

If,  because  of  their  convenience  or  for  some 
particular   reason,  roller   shades  are  desired, 

there  are  several  points  which  it  is 
Materials  well  to  know.  When  roller  shades 
Possible  are  used,  they  should  be  made  of 
for  Use  .  .1  A  i  i  •  i 

glazed  material.     A  glazed  material 

stays  clean  much  longer  than  an  unglazed 
material,  because  the  smooth  surface  does 
not  catch  the  dust.  A  blind  made  of  glazed 
material  also  pulls  up  much  straighter  than 
one  the  material  of  which  clings  to  its  own 
surface.  Opaque  green  shades  are  best  for 
the  bedrooms,  for  they  shut  out  the  light 
most  completely,  and  green  is  a  restful  color 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT      17 

for  the  eyes.  Two-toned  shades  are  often 
used,  green  on  the  inside  and  white  on  the 
outside.  This  is  especially  desirable  when 
white  shades  are  used  in  the  windows  of  the 
rooms  on  the  first  floor,  so  that,  from  the 
outside,  all  the  windows  of  the  house  seem 
uniform.  White  holland  shades  without  much 
dressing  are  usually  better  for  the  living 
rooms,  as  they  let  in  the  greatest  amount  of 
light  while  still  giving  privacy.  Holland 
shade  material  may  be  bought  by  the  yard 
and  easily  made  up  at  home.  A  holland 
shade  usually  keeps  fairly  clean  for  two  years 
and  then  is  often  very  successfully  laundered. 
No  attempt  at  adornment  by  the  use  of 
lace  or  fringe  should  ever  be  attempted. 
This  only  draws  attention  to  the  shades. 

Another   mistake   which    is    all    too   often 
made  is  in  the  use  of  short  or  sash  curtains 
stretched  across  the  lower  half  of  a  Sash  Cur. 
window.     This  form  of  curtain  not  t^8 
only   detracts   from   the   beauty   of  Never 
the  room  in  which  it  is  placed,  but  is  be  Used 
a   detriment   to   the   outside   appearance   of 
the  house  as  well.     If  it  is  necessary  to  shut 
out  the  neighbor's  view  from  bedroom,  din- 
ing room,  or  living  room,  it  is  best  to  do  so 


1 8  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

by  the  use  of  very  thin  net  curtains,  hanging 
back  from  the  glass,  close  to  the  heavier 
curtains  which  are  made  to  draw. 

The   proper   hanging  of   curtains   is   quite 

important.     Thin  white  curtains  should  never 

be  hung  from  rings  or  hooks.     As 

Method  of       ,  „  .       ,         , 

Hanging      they  are  usually  not  required  to  draw, 

Tnin  the  rod  is  best  slipped  into  a  stitched 

Curtains 

heading.     Rods   of  white   enameled 

metal  are  proper  to  use,  as  they  can  be  washed. 
Brass  rods,  which  are  so  often  used,  are  not 
as  satisfactory,  for  continued  cleaning  and 
polishing  is  required  to  keep  them  in  fit 
condition. 

Heavy  side  hangings  should  be  hung  upon 

wooden    poles    matching   the   woodwork,   or 

on   strong   iron    rods    enameled   the 

Hanging      color  of  the  window  casing.     If  the 

Heavy  S{^G  hangings  are  to  be  used  to  draw 
Curtains  •  i  •  i  -  .,*.•.  i 

at  night  m  place  or  a  blind,  the  cas- 
ing for  the  curtain  rod  should  be  sufficiently 
large.  If  there  are  net  curtains,  next  the 
glass,  side  hangings  made  to  draw,  and  a 
valance,  three  separate  curtain  rods,  one 
outside  the  other,  are  required..  If  muslin 
curtains  are  placed  next  to  the  window  and 
the  side  hangings  are  not  to  be  drawn,  then 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT   19 

there  need  be  only  two  curtain  rods,  for  the 
side  hangings  and  valance  may  be  placed 
on  the  same  rod.  Again,  if  there  are  to  be 
muslin  curtains  and  side  hangings,  but  no 
valance,  there  need  be  only  one  rod  used, 
the  side  hangings  and  the  muslin  curtains 
being  placed  upon  the  same  rod. 

No  window  should  ever  be  hung  with  a 
single  curtain  stretched  across  it,   and  even 
when  screening  is   necessary  a  few 
inches  should  always  be  open  in  the  Glimpse  of 
center  between   the   curtains.     The  **?  (£jt~ 

.r    ,      .  Mir  side  World 

most  beautiful  pictures  possible  tor  a 
room  are  those  made  by  glimpses  of  the  out- 
side world,  framed  by  the  soft  folds  of  the 
window  hangings.  Even  the  despised  smoke- 
stacks often  take  on  a  wonderful  beauty 
when  only  a  small  portion  of  the  sky  line  is 
shown  in  this  way. 

In  conjunction  with  simple  hangings  and 
good  design,  the  beauty  of  a  curtain  depends 
upon  its  color  and  texture.     The  buy-  Color, 
ing  of  curtain  material  for  her  win-  ^^g't 
dows    is   no   easy    problem   for  the  should  All 
woman  who  wishes  only  the  beautiful  ?^^ 
and  yet  must  take  count  of  the  cost,  sideration 
There  is  no  branch  of  furnishing  upon  which 


20  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

such  great  profits  are  made  by  most  mer- 
chants as  in  curtain  materials  and  in  ready- 
made  hangings.  With  a  little  knowledge 
it  is  possible  to  save  more  in  curtains  and 
their  fittings  than  in  anything  else  in  the 
ordinary  furnishing  of  a  house. 

For  the  brackets  and  poles  at  the  windows, 
it  is  always  best  to  measure  windows  one- 

TheEco-  se^>  kuy  t^ie  fittittg8  °f  tne  proper 
nomical  length,  and  then  hire  a  carpenter  to 
Way  put  them  up.  The  resultant  bill 

will  always  be  found  to  be  much  smaller  by 
this  method  than  when  the  merchant  sends 
out  a  man  to  take  measurements  and  put 
up  the  curtain  rods. 

In  the  same  way,  when  expense  is  to  be 
considered,  it  is  always  cheaper  to  buy  the 
materials  and  make  your  own  cur- 
tains and  side  hangings  than  to  buy 
them  ready  to  hang.  The  one  exception 
to  this  rule  is  perhaps  the  hemstitched  cur- 
tains of  fine  scrim  in  white  or  ecru.  The 
simple  machine  finish  of  these  curtains  is 
very  fine  and  the  price  of  two  dollars  a  pair 
is  not  prohibitive.  Fine  net  curtains,  fin- 
ished with  a  simple  hem,  are  also  to  be  had 
at  little  more  than  the  cost  of  the  material, 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT     21 

and  at  about  the  price  of  scrim.  These 
two  varieties  of  curtains  are  suitable  in  all 
or  any  of  the  rooms  in  a  house.  Sheer 
muslin  curtains  with  wide  hems  are  especially 
good  in  the  bedrooms.  They  are  usually 
best  hung  in  straight  lines,  but  occasionally 
ruffled  muslin  curtains,  looped  back  daintily, 
are  used  in  strictly  colonial  homes.  No  lace- 
trimmed  or  all  lace  curtains  should  ever 
be  used,  with  the  possible  exception  of  exqui- 
site real  lace.  Even  the  use  of  that,  however, 
is  decidedly  questionable  in  taste  and  it  is 
fortunate  that  not  many  people  can  pay 
the  extravagant  prices  of  such  curtains. 
Machine-made  lace  curtains  are  not  inex- 
pensive and  are  exceedingly  ugly.  They 
should  never  be  used,  as  they  cheapen  the 
entire  appearance  of  the  house.  In  pur- 
chasing them,  the  home  maker  surely  disobeys 
the  good  old  household  rule,  "Buy  only  the 
best  of  its  kind." 

Where  the  walls   of  a   room   are  finished 
in  light  tones,  it  is  usually  best  to  have  white 

curtains,  if  only  one  pair  of  curtains 

i        Tf    i  1  Value 

is  used.     If,  however,  the  walls  are 

toned  darker,  and  only  one  pair  of  curtains 
is  wished,  it  is  more  pleasant  to  have  tinted 


22  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

curtains,  Contrast  between  a  dark  wall  and 
a  light  window  is  to  be  avoided  if  possible. 
In  color,  window  curtains  should  be  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  general  color  scheme  of  the  room, 
but  in  a  lesser  degree.  White  curtains,  used 
alone,  are  out  of  place  unless  the  woodwork 
and  the  wall  paper  are  white  or  very  light. 
Delicate,  transparent  colors  blend  more  readily 
with  the  walls  of  the  room,  and  tone  with 
the  colors  of  the  view  beyond  the  window 
glass,  tempered  and  softened  by  distance. 
Cream  and  ecru  scrim,  and  madras  at  forty 
cents  a  yard,  are  universally  pleasing.  Fig- 
ured madras,  at  seventy-five  cents  a  yard, 
having  a  white  or  cream  background  and  a 
delicately  colored  conventional  design,  is  some- 
times desirable  in  a  room  where  the  walls  are 
tinted  in  a  plain  color  of  a  rather  darker  tone. 
In  a  dark-walled  room,  however,  which 
has  none  too  much  light,  it  is  often  best 
Texture  to  use  thin  curtains  of  net.  Net 
and  Design  curtains  are  so  transparent  that, 
though  they  protect  the  occupants  of  the 
room  from  the  curious  gaze  of  the  passer-by, 
they  still  let  in  much  of  the  colors  of  the 
outside  world.  Although  this  tends  to  blend 
the  window  with  the  walls,  there  should 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT     23 

still  also  be  side  hangings  used  with  the  net 
curtains,  which  will  complete  a  transition 
from  the  light  window  to  the  darker  wall. 
If  the  wall  finish  is  plain,  it  is  often  well  to 
have  a  material  with  a  background  the  color 
of  the  wall,  bearing  a  design  in  tones  of  the 
window.  A  figured  hanging  should  never 
be  used,  however,  in  a  room  with  a  decorated 
wall.  There  the  hangings  should  be  of  a 
plain  color,  and  of  a  shade  intermediate 
between  the  dominant  tone  of  the  paper  or 
stencil  and  the  window  tone.  By  this  means 
the  observer's  eye  is  carried  around  the  room 
in  continuous  progression^  There  is  no  dis- 
tinct break  in  rhythm  when  each  window  is 
reached. 

In  color,  the  outside  draperies  of  a  window 
should  repeat  the  dominant  color  in  the  room, 
often  that  in  the  rug.     In  this  way 
a  feeling  of  unity  is  procured  between  Ofe^e 

the  walls  of  a  room  and  its  furnish-  Dominant 

XT  71  i  Colors 

ings.     Where  the  carpets  or  rugs  are 

plain,  the  dominant  color  may  be  found  in 
them  or  in  the  upholstery  of  the  furniture. 
Where  figured  or  oriental  rugs  are  used,  some 
pronounced  motif  usually  supplies  the  color 
key  of  the  draperies,  which  should  be  of  a 


24  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

solid  tone.  The  material  chosen  for  the 
overdraperies  should  generally  be  used  again 
in  couch  or  chair  cushions.  In  bedrooms 
or  in  the  living  rooms  of  very  simple  homes 
figured  denims  used  as  draperies  for  the 
windows  and  for  couch  covers  and  cushions 
give  an  eifect  of  cheerfulness  which  can  hardly 
be  equaled  in  any  other  way.  In  more 
formal  rooms  where  greater  richness  is  de- 
sired, and  where  portieres  and  upholstery  are 
of  the  same  material,  a  heavier  fabric  should 
be  used,  such  as  velvet,  velour,  aras,  monks- 
cloth,  or  extra-weight  denim. 

Color,  however,  is  of  vastly  more  impor- 
tance than  material.  It  is  better  to  buy 
Color  unbleached  muslin  or  some  other 
Harmony  very  cheap  cloth  and  have  it  dyed  the 
proper  hue,  than  to  use  hangings  made  of 
the  most  rich  and  luxurious  fabric  which  do 
not  harmonize  with  the  walls,  floor,  and  furni- 
ture of  the  room  in  which  they  are  placed. 

There  is  a  general  rule  which  it  is  well 
always  to  remember  in  interior  decoration. 
A  Good  ^  *s  ^is  —  Use  plain  rugs  and  hang- 
Rule  to  ings  with  decorated  walls,  plain  walls 
and  rugs  with  figured  hangings,  and, 
as  a  usual  thing,  plain  walls  and  hangings 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT  25 

with  floor  covering  bearing  a  pronounced 
design.  There  are,  of  course,  exceptions  in 
charming  instances,  such  as  in  the  use  of 
chintz  draperies  woven  to  match  the  design 
of  German  papers,  but  usually  the  rule  is 
safe  to  follow. 

The  materials  for  the  side  hangings  of  a 
window  may  be  quite  inexpensive  though 
very  effective.  Quaint  figured  ere- 


tonnes  in  various  designs  and  colors  siveMa- 

,          i       •      j    r        r  r  terials  for 

can  be  obtained  for  from  forty  to  side 
seventy-five  cents  a  yard.  Im-  Hangings 
ported  English  cretonne  at  ninety  cents 
a  yard  is  especially  charming.  English, 
French,  and  German  chintz  are  very  beautiful 
and  cost  but  little  more.  Plain  colored 
cretonnes,  poplins,  and  homespun  range  in 
price  from  twenty-five  cents  to  forty  cents 
a  yard.  The  rough  weave  of  unbleached 
muslin  is  most  effective  when  draperies  made 
of  it  are  dyed  to  match  the  dominant  color 
of  the  room  in  which  they  are  placed.  Jap- 
anese toweling  with  its  contrasting  blue 
and  white  is  attractive  in  dining  rooms  of  the 
simpler  sort  and  in  many  bedrooms.  It 
may  be  purchased  at  almost  any  department 
store  at  one  dollar  for  a  bolt  of  twelve  yards. 


26  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Other  colors  may  also  be  had  in  Japanese 
toweling,  and,  although  not  usually  as  strik- 
ing, are  sometimes  very  pleasing  in  the  softer 
hues.  Mercerized  cotton  poplins  are  sold 
for  fifteen  cents  a  yard,  and,  when  hung, 
give  almost  the  effect  of  the  more  expensive 
sun-proof  silks.  Another  material  having  a 
rough  weave  and  the  color  of  raw  pongee 
comes  at  the  same  price.  It  is  really  very 
rich  looking  when  used  in  a  room  in  tones 
of  brown.  A  plain,  washable  material  called 
casement  cloth  is  made  in  England,  and  may 
be  had  in  excellent  values  of  dull  blue,  green, 
and  brown.  It  is  thirty  inches  wide  and 
costs  only  thirty-five  cents  a  yard.  It  is 
especially  suited  to  simple  curtains  used  next 
the  window  or  as  side  hangings  and  has  the 
advantage  of  taking  stencil  well,  where  a 
very  formal  design  is  permissible. 

Of  the  richer  fabrics,  there  is  also  a  great 
variety,  especially  woven  for  use  in  classic 
Side  drawing-rooms,  pleasant  living 

Hangings  rooms,  dignified  dining  rooms  or  cozy 
Expensive  breakfast  rooms,  as  well  as  for  the 
Materials  halls  ancj  bedrooms.  There  are 
hangings  having  little  luster  in  soft  silks, 
reps,  poplins,  aras,  tapestries,  and  other  effec- 


WINDOWS  ANP  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT     27 

tive  stuffs.  Fabrics  with  a  pile  are  richer, 
giving  soft  color  with  lustrous  high  lights 
and  deep  shadows.  There  are  velvets  of 
many  kinds,  of  cotton,  linen,  silk,  and  mohair. 
Some  have  high  gloss,  some  very  little,  some 
are  striped  or  brocaded  or  woven  in  elaborate 
designs.  Reproductions  of  the  most  notable 
examples  of  velvets,  tapestries,  damasks,  and 
brocades  of  historical  periods  may  be  pro- 
cured at  reasonable  figures.  The  sense  of 
harmony  should  be  used  in  the  choice  of 
these  various  fabrics,  however.  Rich,  quiet 
materials  should  be  selected  for  dignified 
rooms  in  the  pretentious  homes.  The  dra- 
peries should  be  in  keeping  with  the  pur- 
poses of  the  rooms,  and  should  be  of  the  kind 
that  will  be  pleasant  to  live  with  day  after  day. 
Wool  tapestries  of  close,  hard  weaves, 
reproducing  many  of  the  designs  and  colors 
of  priceless  stuffs,  may  be  purchased  Modem 
at  prices  ranging  from  four  dollars  Tapestries 
a  yard  upward.  These  are  suitable  for  side 
hangings  for  large  windows,  for  door  cur- 
tains, and  for  upholstery.  They  are  fifty 
inches  in  width.  All-wool  tapestries  have 
the  advantage  of  being  practically  fadeless, 
but  there  are  also  many  cheaper  grades 


28  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

which  come  in  a  mixture  of  cotton  and  wool 
and  are  very  beautiful  in  design  and  color. 
Tapestry  cloth  usually  suggests  rooms  of 
dignified  proportions  and  furnishings,  but 
simpler  rooms,  especially  those  of  the  colonial 
type,  are  often  suited  to  its  use. 

Mahogany   furniture   suggests   velvet   and 
velours  for  the  heavy  draperies.     The  double- 
faced  velours  at  from  three  to  four 

Velour, 

Velvet,  and  dollars  a  yard  are  very  inexpensive 
Damask  £Qr  tjie  appearance  of  richness  given. 

Velvet  and  satiny  wool  damasks  are  of  course 
more  beautiful  in  texture,  but  are  much  more 
costly. 

Aras  cloth  at  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  square 

yard    is    usually    best    with    craftsman    and 

Mission  furniture  and  with  oak  furni- 

SuSabie      ture  °f  the  simpler  kinds.     The  rich- 

for  Simple    ness  of  the  hangings   should  never 

Furniture  ,      ,          •_     »        •  r    i 

overshadow  the  furniture  of  the  room, 
for  it  should  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  hang- 
ings are  a  part  of  the  wall  or  background  of 
the  room  picture. 

Where  heavy  hangings  are  neces- 

SideHang-  ,  7     ? 

ings  of  Sar7  at  the  doors,  it  is  sometimes 
Light-  best  to  have  lighter  weight  side  hang- 
Material  ings  at  the  windows,  but  of  the  same 


WINDOWS  AND  THEIR  DECORATIVE  TREATMENT      29 

color.  For  this  use  there  is  a  material  called 
secco  silk  at  thirty-five  cents  a  yard,  sun-proof 
silk  at  two  dollars  a  yard,  and  silk  pongee 
at  seventy  cents  a  yard,  as  well  as  many 
others. 

As  with  the  inside  curtains,  the  most  eco- 
nomical  plan   is   to   buy   the   materials   and 
have  them  made  up  in  the  house,  Hangings 
using   simple   hems   or   plain  gimps  maybe 
and  bindings  for  finish.     In  search-  S^the*1 
ing   for   the   desirable   fabrics    it   is  House 
often   well   to   pay   a   visit   to   the   clothing 
material  sections  of  the  department  stores. 
There    curtain    fabrics    may    sometimes    be 
purchased  which  are  more  suitable  than  are 
the  materials  carried  in  the  house  furnishing 
departments,    and   there   is   usually   a   great 
saving  in  expense  to  the  thrifty  housewife. 
They  must  only   answer  that  test  of  good 
hangings  —  harmony  with  the  various  parts 
of  the  rooms  in  which  they  are  placed. 

REFERENCES 

DE  WOLFE,  ELSIE 
The  House  in  Good  Taste. 
The  Century  Company,  New  York,  1913. 
Hangings,  Chapter  VII. 


30  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

HERTS,  B.  RUSSELL 

The  Decoration  and  Furnishing  of  Apartments. 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York,  1915. 

Curtains,  Part  II,  Chapter  VIII. 
THROOP,  LUCY  ABBOT 

Furnishing  the  Home  of  Good  Taste. 
McBride,  Nast  &  Company,  New  York,  1912. 
Curtains,  pp.  181-188. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  FINISHING  OF  FLOORS 

The  Treatment  of  Wood  Floors,  Old  and  New  — The 
Use  of  Linoleum,  Tiles,  and  Cement  for  Floor 
Coverings. 

THE   floor   is   the   decorative   foundation   of 
the  room,  the  starting  point  in  the  ascending 
scale   of   color   tones,    and   as    such  TheFloor 
should   always   be   darker   in   value  as  the 
than  the  side  walls,  in  the  same  de- 
gree  that  the  side  walls  are  darker  of  the 
than  the  ceiling.     The  floor  should  Room 
not   be   inlaid    in    complicated    designs    and 
covered  with  patterns  which  prove  distract- 
ing.    It  should  be  as  inconspicuous  as  pos- 
sible and  should  be  a  restful  background  for 
the  rugs  and  for  the  furniture  of  the  room. 

In    the    more    inexpensively    constructed 
homes  of  to-day  the  light  oak,  maple,  Light 
or  pine  floor  is  often  used,  varnished  Fi°°rs 
or  waxed  until  its  mirrorlike  surface  stained 
compels  attention.     The  most  beau-  Darker 
tiful   rugs    and    the    finest    of    furniture    are 

31 


32  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

dimmed  by  its  saffron  splendor,  which  is 
at  once  the  pride  of  the  enterprising  landlord 
and  the  despair  of  any  tenant  who  wishes 
to  create  a  homelike  interior.  Fortunately, 
however,  all  houses  are  not  owned  by  land- 
lords and  even  occasionally,  when  the  house 
is  rented,  the  owner  may  be  brought  to  see 
the  error  of  his  ways  and  may  allow  a  stain 
to  be  applied  which  will  darken  the  floor 
to  a  satisfactory  tone. 

Wood  stains  may  be  purchased  in  various 
colors  which  are  already  dissolved  in  alcohol, 

The  Use  or  a  g°°d  stam  ma7  ^e  made  by  mix- 
of  Wood  ing  oil  paint  and  turpentine.  Color 
cards  of  wood  stains  can  be  procured 
which  may  be  brought  into  the  room  where 
the  floor  is  to  be  darkened  and  the  desired 
hue  and  value  decided  upon.  Shades  of 
brown,  of  silver-gray,  or  of  brownish  green 
are  usually  best,  giving  the  effect  of  Flemish 
oak,  weathered  oak,  brown  weathered  oak, 
or  green  weathered  oak.  If  the  stain  pur- 
chased is  too  dark,  it  may  be  lightened  by 
the  addition  of  a  little  wood  alcohol,  and  the 
dye  may  then  be  applied  with  a  camel's- 
hair  brush.  Open  ground  woods  should  have 
the  pores  filled  with  a  paste  filler.  These 


THE. FINISHING  OF  FLOORS  33 

fillers  may  be  purchased  containing  any  stain 
desired,  and  should  be  used  on  oak,  ash,  and 
chestnut  floors.  Maple,  birch,  hard  pine, 
and  sycamore  are  close  grained  and  do  not 
require  a  filler. 

The  finish  for  stained  floors  may  be  either 
wax  or  varnish.  Varnished  floors  are  the 
most  easily  cared  for.  Durable,  „ 

;  '   Varnished 

water  and  heat  proof  varnishes  are  and  Waxed 
now  on  the  market,  and  two  coats  Floors 
applied  once  a  year  are  all  that  are  needed 
for  the  average  floor.  Waxed  floors  are 
more  beautiful,  but  require  constant  care. 
For  waxed  floors  a  ready  prepared  wax 
may  be  used,  or  beeswax  melted  with  turpen- 
tine to  the  consistency  of  lard  is  equally 
satisfactory.  Two  coats  of  wax  are  usually 
necessary,  and  they  may  be  applied  with  a 
soft  rag  or,  better,  with  a  weighted  brush 
which  is  manufactured  for  that  purpose. 
The  wax  should  be  rubbed  on  only  a  few 
feet  of  the  surface  of  the  floor  at  a  time  and 
this  portion  polished  before  proceeding  farther. 
One  coat  of  varnish  should  always  be  given 
to  the  wood  before  the  wax  is  applied,  for 
the  wax  alone  is  not  a  sufficient  protection 
to  the  wood  against  grease  and  moisture. 


34  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  floors  should  be  rubbed  about  every 
two  months  and  additional  wax  applied  to 

The  Care  a^  worn  places-  If  a  floor  is  allowed 
of  the  to  become  worn  down  to  the  bare 
wood,  dirt  is  ground  into  the  surface 
and  cannot  be  removed  without  scraping.  All 
grease  and  dirt  should  be  thoroughly  removed 
before  any  new  finish  is  applied.  On  varnished 
floors  this  is  especially  important,  and  a  good 
scrubbing  with  strong  soapsuds  is  most  effective. 
Very  poor  floors  may  be  successfully  stained 
and  then  varnished,  if  first  all  nails  are  re- 
TheReno  move<^  an<^  every  crack  and  chink 
vationof  filled  with  putty.  When  floors  are 
Old  Floors  old?  Qr  badly  discolored>  ;t  js  often 

best  to  use  another  finish  which  is  made  es- 
pecially for  this  purpose.  It  is  a  varnish  and 
stain  combined,  called  floor  lac.  The  pig- 
ment is  retained  in  the  varnish  instead  of 
sinking  into  the  wood,  so  that  the  floor  with 
its  imperfections  does  not  show  through 
to  any  great  extent.  If  the  floors  are  very 
badly  marred,  however,  one  coat  of  ground 
paint  is  necessary  before  applying  the  varnish 
stain.  The  painted  surface  covers  the  rough 
places  in  the  wood  and  furnishes  a  surface 
which  is  extremely  durable. 


THE  FINISHING  OF  FLOORS  35 

Oiled    hardwood    floors    are    suitable    for 
the  kitchen  and  the  bathroom.     Oiled  floors 
have  the  advantage  of  not  being  slip-  oiled 
pery  and  may  be  mopped  up  with  Floors 
water    each    day.     A    good    quality    of    raw 
linseed  oil   should   be   used,    and   two   coats 
each  year  are  generally  needed  to  keep  the 
floors  in  good  condition. 

A  practical  covering  for  the  kitchen  and 
the  bathroom  is  linoleum.  It  may  be  kept 

spotlessly  clean  with  frequent  wash- 
.F  '*     .  .       \  Linoleum 

ings  and  is  attractive  in  appear- 
ance. It  comes  in  simple  inlaid  designs  of 
white  or  cream,  combined  with  a  light  color. 
The  best  grade  of  linoleum  is  the  wisest 
purchase,  for  it  wears  well.  A  good  kitchen 
floor  covering  of  this  material  will  usually 
be  found  to  be  in  excellent  condition  ten 
years  from  the  time  it  is  first  used.  Lino- 
leum is  rather  awkward  to  handle,  so  it  is 
best  to  have  it  laid  by  the  firm  from  which 
it  is  purchased.  A  narrow  molding  should 
be  placed  over  the  edge  next  to  the  base- 
board of  the  room. 

Tiles,  of  course,  make  an  ideal  sanitary 
covering  for  kitchen  and  bathroom  floors. 
They  may  be  kept  clean  and  are  beautiful. 


36  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

They  are,  however,  too  expensive  for  the 
average  small  home,  so  it  is  fortunate  that 
Floors  of  tnere  is  a  very  satisfactory  substitute 
Tile  and  in  cement.  A  cement  floor  is  often 
now  laid  in  any  one  of  a  variety  of 
colors  which  will  harmonize  with  the  rest 
of  the  room.  It  may  be  left  in  one  plain 
surface,  or  may  be  lined  oif  with  a  small  tool 
in  tile  effect  while  the  material  is  still  soft. 
It  is  the  most  sanitary  of  all  floors  in  one 
respect,  for  the  edges  are  usually  rounded 
up  to  the  baseboard  in  one  continuous  curve, 
thus  facilitating  cleaning.  In  one  corner 
of  the  room  an  outlet  for  water  may  be 
placed.  The  one  disadvantage  of  both  tile 
and  cement  floors  is  that  they  are  rather 
hard  on  the  feet  if  there  is  much  standing  to 
be  done.  In  the  kitchen  when  floors  of  this 
kind  are  used  rubber  mats  may  be  found  a 
great  comfort  when  placed  before  the  sink 
and  work  tables. 

Comfort  and  suitability  should  both  be 
considered  in  choosing  floor  finishes.  The 
floors  of  the  home  will  then  take  their  place 
as  a  subordinate  but  very  important  element 
in  the  general  scheme  of  decoration. 


THE  FINISHING  OF  FLOORS  37 

REFERENCES 

ELDER-DUNCAN,  J.  H. 
The  House  Beautiful  and  Useful. 

John  Lane  Company,  New  York,  1908. 

Cement  Floors,  p.  35. 
MC!NTOSH,  JOHN  GIDDES 
Manufacture  of  Varnishes. 

Scott,  Greenwood  &  Son,  London,  1911. 

Floor  Recipes,  pp.  393-396. 
ROBINSON,  L.  EUGENE 
Domestic  Architecture. 

The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1917. 
SABIN,  ALVAH  HORTON 
House  Painting. 
John  Wiley  &  Sons,  New  York,  1908. 

Floor  Finishing,  pp.  61-68. 
SABIN,  ALVAH  HORTON 
Technology  of  Paint  and  Varnish. 
John  Wiley  &  Sons,  New  York,  1904. 

Floors,  pp.  318-320. 
SABIN,  Louis  CARLTON 
Cement  and  Concrete. 
McGraw  Publishing  Co.,  New  York,  1905. 
Cement  Floors,  pp.  426-428. 


CHAPTER  IV 

DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS 

The  Treatment  of  Floors  regarding  Color,  Value, 
Subordination  —  Different  Varieties  of  Domestic 
Makes  and  their  Relative  Cost. 

As  has  been  said,  the  floor  of  a  room  is  the 

foundation    upon    which    the    entire    decora- 

tion of  a  room  rests,  and  since  floors 

The  Floor 

as  a  Back-  are  usually  carpeted  or  largely  cov- 
ground  erecj  Wjtj1  rugs,  the  selection  of  floor 
coverings  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  The 
color  value  of  the  floor  should  be  substantial 
and  harmonious  in  effect,  for  a  room  should 
always  look  as  if  it  had  been  furnished  from  the 
bottom  up,  even  though,  in  reality,  the  rug  or 
carpet  may  have  been  the  last  thing  selected. 
As  a  general  rule  it  is  wisest  to  decide  upon 
Floor  the  wall  finish  first,  because  of  the 

Covering      necessity  of  adaptation  to  the  amount 

often  gives         ,  *  •  f        .  . 

the  Domi-    of  light  which  the  windows  let  in,  but 


next  in  °rder  should   come  the  fl°°r 

Room         covering.     From  it  is  usually  worked 
out   the    entire    color   scheme  of  the    room. 

38 


DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS  39 

If  the  rug  or  carpet  is  many-hued  and  figured, 
some  dominant  color  is  selected  and  repeated 
in  varying  degrees  of  value  and  intensity  in 
the  window  draperies  and  upholsteries.  If 
the  floor  covering  is  plain,  the  same  color  or 
a  harmonizing  hue  is  repeated  elsewhere  in 
the  room. 

In  color,  the  floor  coverings  should  never 
be  vivid.     If  a  rug  is  too  bright,  it  will  seem 

to  fairly  jump   from  the  floor    and 

*•  -11   u     A  •+  Intensity 

attention  will  be  drawn  to  it  rather 

than  toward  the  furniture  for  which  it  is 
the  foundation.  The  majority  of  people  have 
passed  that  stage  of  affection  for  the  hearth 
rug  proudly  bearing  a  recumbent  dog,  or  the 
carpet  boasting  huge  roses  and  lilies  which 
might  well  have  been  plucked  from  the  covers 
of  a  florist's  catalogue,  but  it  is  still  not  gen- 
erally known  that,  even  though  the  design 
of  a  floor  covering  is  conventional,  it  must 
also  be  sufficiently  dull  to  stay  down  in  its 
proper  place.  There  are  many  women  who 
feel  that  an  oriental  rug  must  fit  in  any  room 
in  which  it  is  placed  because  of  the  harmony 
centering  about  a  diversity  of  colors,  but 
this  is  a  false  idea.  Many  of  the  rugs  which 
come  from  the  Far  East  are  so  vivid  in  hue 


40  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

that  the  rooms  in  which  they  are  placed  must 
be  greatly  intensified  in  color  in  order  to 
keep  a  proper  tone  balance. 

There  should  also  be  a  sufficient  depth 
of  value  to  support  the  rest  of  the  room,  or 
the  rug  or  carpet  does  not  seem 
securely  planted  under  foot.  If  a 
large  rug  is  used  or  a  number  of  small  rugs, 
rather  than  a  carpet,  and  if  the  surrounding 
floor  is  light,  there  must  be  an  especial  depth 
in  value  to  secure  the  effect  of  an  adequate 
foundation.  When  a  perfect  balance  has 
been  achieved  in  this  respect,  it  is  really 
immaterial  whether  the  floor  covering  has  cost 
much  or  little.  The  visitor  will  not  think  of 
the  floor,  but  will  merely  sense  the  feeling  of 
repose  given  by  a  well-planned  picture. 
Domestic  ^or  ^s  reason  domestic  rugs  are 
Rugs  are  often  as  artistically  satisfactory  as 

factoryln8"  t^ie  more  costly  orientals,  and  there 
intensity  is  certainly  a  wide  choice  among 

and  Value       i  «     •  i      •  11 

the  varieties  made  in  our  own  land. 
The  plain  rug  or  carpet  is  perhaps  in  great- 
est vogue  to-day   among   those  of   domestic 
The  Plain    make.     There  are  many  good  reasons 
Rus  favoring   its   choice.     A   plain   floor 

covering,  like  a  plain  wall,  sets  off  to  good 


DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS  41 

advantage  whatever  may  be  placed  upon  it. 
There  is  no  reason  for  calling  attention  to 
an  inexpensive  rug  by  introducing  a  design 
which  will  detract  from  furnishings  of  greater 
value  in  the  room.  Most  of  the  rooms  in 
our  homes  to-day  are  too  small,  and  a  plain 
rug  or  carpet  adds  to  the  apparent  size  of 
the  floor  space.  When  carpets,  rather  than 
rugs,  are  used,  the  use  of  one  solid  color  on 
the  floors  of  adjoining  rooms  adds  greatly 
to  the  effect  of  spaciousness  and  gives  a  sense 
of  unity  to  the  whole  house. 

As  has  just  been  said,  the  greatest  sense 
of  size  is  given  by  an  unbroken  floor  space, 
so,  in  the  same  way,  if  plain  floor 

«    '  Effect  of 

coverings  are  used,  a  room  appears  size  given 
largest  which  is  carpeted,  next  in  size  J^  a  Plain 
if  a  single  large  rug  is  used,  but  much 
smaller  if  a  number  of  small  rugs  are  used. 
A   plain   floor   always   seems   larger   than   a 
floor  bearing  a  design,  whether  that  design 
is    made    by    figures    woven    into    the   floor 
covering,   or  by   the   arrangements   of   rugs 
upon  the  floor.     When,  however,  small  rugs 
are    selected,   they   should    fit    like    mosaics 
into  a  picture,   in  color  and  design  and  in 
their  placing. 


42  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  choice  of  floor  covering,  however,  is 
affected   by   so   many   conditions   that   it   is 

not  easy  to  lay  down  any  definite 
Subor-  ,  .  ,  -p  \ 

dinationof   rules  as  guides.     Rugs  and  carpets 

Floor  should  always  be  as  inconspicuous 
Coverings  '  _.  111  •  i 

as  possible.      Iney  must  blend  with 

the  walls  and  furnishings,  or  an  otherwise 
beautiful  room  will  prove  unpleasant  to  live  in. 
The  less  pronounced  the  floor  of  the  room,  the 
better  and  more  restful  the  combined  effect. 

Among  the  most  harmonious  domestic  rugs 

made  are  those  in  one,  two,  or  three  plain- 

toned  borders  of  one  color.     Where 

Plain  Rugs  ,  -,       -, 

with  two  °r  three  tones  are  used,  the  cen- 


Banded       traj  value  is  lighter  than  the  marginal 
Borders  °.  .   , 

border.     These  rugs  have  a  pile  which 

is  often  quite  deep,  and  they  are  firmly  woven. 
A  plain  Axminster  velvet  rug  in  a  nine 
by  twelve  size  may  be  purchased  as  low  as 
Axminster  twenty-eight  dollars.  The  Axmin- 
Rues  ster  carpets  and  rugs  have  a  rather 
coarse  warp,  but  the  rugs  especially  give  a 
very  good  effect  and  have  fair  wearing  qual- 
ities. The  Chenille  Axminster  rugs  in  plain 
tones  are  made  after  the  fashion  of  hand- 
tufted  rugs  of  Scotland.  They  are  very 
heavy,  with  a  deep  pile  and  made  of  the  very 


DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS  43 

finest    wool.     Large    Chenille    rugs    may    be 
purchased  for  sixty-eight  dollars  and  up. 

Plain    Wilton    rugs    are    also    very    satis- 
factory.    They  may   always   be   relied  upon 
for    appearance    and    service.     The  waton 
warp  is  closer  than  the  Axminster,  Ru€s 
and  the  pile  is  deeper  in  the  less  expensive 
grades.     Plain    rugs,    and    plain    rugs    with 
two-toned  borders,  may  be  had  in  the  Wiltons 
in  several  grades,  ranging  from  twenty-four 
dollars  up  to  sixty  dollars  for  the  ones  of  large 
size. 

There  is  only  one  objection  to  these  solid- 
color  rugs,  and  that  is  that  they  do  show  dust 
and  footmarks  all  too  plainly.  For 

,  .  ,     „  ,    .  The  One 

this   reason,   in  halls   and  in  rooms  objection 
directly  entered  from  the  street,  it  ^  Plain 
is  well  to  plan  a  color  scheme  per- 
mitting of  the  use  of  rather  light  rugs  in  a 
brownish  tone.     Footprints  are  not  thus  so 
noticeable  as  they  are  on  a  darker  rug  in  a 
different  color. 

In  many  homes  figured  rugs  are  preferred, 
and  here  there  is  a  greater  variety  to  choose 
from.     The  American  rug  manufac-  Figured 
turers  long  ago  realized  the   appeal  Russ 
which  the  beauty  and  practicability  of  the 


44  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

oriental  rug  makes  to  the  average  home 
maker,  and  they  have  constantly  endeavored 
to  give  to  the  public  a  rug  just  as  well  made, 
just  as  beautiful,  and  with  the  same  wearing 
qualities  as  the  antique,  but  at  one  tenth 
the  price  of  a  good  oriental.  Each  year 
there  are  more  perfect  and  beautiful  repro- 
ductions made,  and  it  is  astonishing  how 
closely  they  conform  to  the  traditions  of 
eastern  art. 

Productions  ranging  in  price  from  twenty 

dollars   to   one   hundred   dollars   for   a   nine 

by  twelve  rug  are  in  the  first  rank. 

Distinction 

in  Quality  The  wool  used  is  imported  from  the 
of  Various  Orient,  is  strong,  tough,  and  resilient, 
and  gives  great  wear.  Both  Wilton 
and  Body  Brussels  are  made,  being  woven 
on  Jacquard  looms.  In  the  weaving  the 
yarn  is  thrown  over  long,  slender  steel  wires 
so  as  to  form  a  loop.  In  the  Brussels  fabric, 
the  wire  is  merely  pulled  out,  leaving  the 
loop  intact.  In  the  Wilton,  there  is  a  sharp 
knife  at  the  end  of  the  wire  which  cuts  the 
loops  as  they  are  drawn  out  and  makes  each 
loop  a  tuft.  All  rugs  of  this  class  are  made  in 
this  way,  and  so,  in  judging  the  relative  value 
of  rugs,  before  purchasing  it  is  well  to  look 


DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS  45 

at  the  back  of  the  rugs  and  select  the  firm 
fabric  which  is  very  closely  tufted.  The 
closeness  of  the  tufts  can  also  be  told  on 
the  upper  side  by  bending  the  rug  sharply. 
The  more  closely  tufted  the  rug,  the  greater 
is  its  value.  The  finest  Wilton  rugs  have 
600  knots  to  the  square  inch.  Axminsters 
in  good  oriental  designs  may  be  found  at 
reasonable  prices,  while  tapestry  rugs  are 
even  cheaper.  Tapestry  fabric  is  made  of 
printed  wool,  and  may  always  be  distinguished 
by  the  blurred  appearance  of  the  figures. 

Very  few  people  whose  taste  leads  them 
to    desire    genuine    orientals    can    resist   the 
Smyrna  rug,  a  rug  with  two  wearing  Smyrna 
surfaces  and  a  price  which  figures  a  Russ 
very  great  saving.     The  Smyrna  rug  is  re- 
versible.    The  colorings  and  designs  are  exact 
reproductions  of  orientals  in  many  cases. 

Scotch    rugs    are    also    reversible    and    are 
made   of   Scotch    wool.     A    large    rug    costs 
twenty-five  dollars.     They  are  made  scotch 
with  the  weave  of  an  ingrain  carpet  Russ 
and  are  usually  artistic  in  design  and  coloring. 
A  nursery  rug  in  Scotch  wool  comes  at  eight- 
een dollars  and  is  woven   with    a   charming 
border  of  quaint  animals. 


46  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Rag  rugs  are  to  be  found  in  the  depart- 
ment stores  in  all  sizes,  colors,  and  prices. 
Many  of  them  are  very  thick  and 
soft  in  color  and  blend  admirably 
with  the  colonial  furniture  of  a  bedroom. 
A  large  rug  nine  by  twelve  may  be  purchased 
for  twelve  dollars  and  a  half  and  gives  good 
service,  as  it  washes  well.  Rag  rugs  are 
also  suitable  for  the  living  room  when  they 
are  woven  from  well-worn  wool  carpet.  An 
old  velvet  carpet,  faded  and  worn,  often 
makes  a  rug  of  most  charming  texture  and 
color,  and  the  cost  of  weaving  is  slight. 

Rugs  of  Scotch  Caba  Fiber  at  ten  dollars 
are  suitable  for  the  veranda  and  bedrooms. 

Large  grass  rugs  may  also  be  found  at 
Fiber  Rugs     ,  -11  x       i 

the  same  price,  smaller  rugs  ior  less. 

They  are  cold  in  quality  and  therefore  are 
more  suitable  for  the  summer  cottage  than 
for  the  permanent  home. 

In  this  day  of  vacuum  cleaners  there  has 
been  somewhat  of  a  revival  for  carpets.  If 
„  x  a  cleaner  is  installed  in  the  house 

Carpets  . 

versus  with  an  attachment  in  each  room, 
Rugs  it  is  certainly  less  work  to  have  car- 

pets than  rugs.  The  effect  given  by  a  floor 
completely  covered  is  warmer,  and  many 


DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS  47 

people  feel  that  it  is  more  luxurious  and  in- 
viting. That  is  a  question  of  taste  which 
may  be  decided  by  each  home-maker.  Vel- 
vet, Body  Brussels,  and  Ingrain  carpets  may 
be  purchased  by  the  running  yard  at  a 
slightly  lower  figure  a  square  foot  than  may 
be  purchased  in  a  rug  of  the  same  quality. 
Plain,  soft  colors  are  unquestionably  the 
most  artistic  but  are  not  always  desired  be- 
cause of  dust  and  footprints  and  the  wear 
which  shows  in  the  well-used  places  before 
the  doors.  A  patterned  carpet,  while  not 
so  beautiful,  shows  wear  much  less,  but,  if 
used,  the  figures  should  be  small  and  unob- 
trusive and  should  be  close  enough  to  cover 
the  background  well.  Then  there  will  be  no 
spotty  effect  to  draw  attention  to  the  floor. 

For  the  people  of  quite  limited  means  the 
domestic   rug  or  carpet  is   undoubtedly  the 
wise  selection.     A  cheap  oriental  rug  TheU 
is   usually  not  beautiful,   is   loosely  of  Do- 
woven,  and  gives  poor  service.     Good  R^^S 
orientals,  on  the  other  hand,  by  rea-  often  Pref- 
son  of  their  very  richness  are  apt  to  foeUse°of 
form  a  painful  contrast  with  the  furni-  Oriental 
ture  in  the  modest  home.     It  is  also  a 
mistake  to  sink  a  large  sum  of  money  in  a  rug 


48  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

with  the  idea  that  a  real  antique  will  wear  for- 
ever. Antiques  are  only  antiques  because  they 
have  been  very  carefully  used.  In  the  Orient 
it  would  be  a  sacrilege  not  to  remove  the 
footgear  before  entering  a  house.  Here  in 
America  the  hard  impressions  of  our  stout 
shoes  cause  our  rugs  to  wear  in  a  compara- 
tively short  time,  so,  occasionally,  there  is 
additional  expense  for  renapping,  for  weav- 
ing in  the  damaged  places,  and  for  making 
the  necessary  repairs.  However,  modern  ori- 
entals are  very  satisfactory,  for  the  patterns 
are  beautiful  and,  as  the  rugs  are  new  when 
purchased,  the  wearing  qualities  are  excellent. 
Indeed,  a  modern  oriental,  while  costing  much 
more  than  a  domestic  rug,  also  wears  several 
times  as  long,  so  the  expense  is  often  no 
greater  in  the  end.  For  the  householder 
of  sufficient  capital  to  purchase  either  modern 
or  oriental  rugs,  the  question  is  merely  that 
of  suitability  and  harmony  to  the  home. 
In  one  house  an  unobtrusive  Wilton  or 
Body  Brussels  rug  may  seem  in  keeping 
with  the  scheme  of  furnishing,  in  another 
house  an  oriental  rug  may  add  a  needed  point 
of  interest. 


DOMESTIC  RUGS  AND  CARPETS  49 

REFERENCE 

HUNTER,  GEORGE  LELAND 
Home  Furnishing. 

John  Lane  Company,  New  York,  19x38. 
Domestic  Rugs,  Chapter  V. 


CHAPTER  V 

ORIENTAL  RUGS 

The  ^Esthetic  Appeal  of  the  Oriental  Rug  —  The  Four 
Principal  Classes  and  Some  Subdivisions  —  Risks 
Encountered  in  Purchasing. 

A   HOME    is    something   more   than    a   place 

in  which  to  live.     It  is  what  both  men  and 

women  long  for,  work  for,  and  from 

*pt%  o 

Esthetic  which  children  receive  their  earliest 
Value  of  ancj  most  enduring  impressions, 
the  Home  .  r  rr  •  •  «  11 

Iheir  view  01  hie  is  influenced  by 
whatever  of  finer  suggestion  or  of  real  uplift 
it  is  possible  to  bring  into  their  environment. 
If  the  income  is  not  too  limited,  it  is  a  wise 
investment  to  do  all  that  is  possible  to  beau- 
tify the  home  and  to  add  to  its  charm. 

Oriental  rugs  have  a  power  of  fascination 

TheEmo  an<^  a  Pecu^ar  mystical  quality 
tional  which  stirs  the  imagination  and 
ofth?  emotions,  more,  perhaps,  than  any 
Oriental  other  item  of  household  furnishing. 
^  Each  rug,  laboriously  made  by  hand, 

represents  months  or  years  of  patient  work, 

so 


ORIENTAL  RUGS  51 

and  necessarily  reflects  the  changing  moods 
and  mind  of  the  maker.  Each  piece  of 
fabric  has  received  a  personal  touch  which 
gives  it  almost  a  life  and  personality  in  the 
family  circle. 

Although  in  some  homes  of  unlimited 
means,  oriental  rugs  may  be  entirely  out 
of  place  because  of  the  color  scheme  The 

or  the  manner  of  furnishing  —  plain  Blending 

,     ,        ,  Power  of 

rugs    are    sometimes    needed    where  oriental 


there  is  much  wall  decoration,  and 
mission  and  craftsman  furniture  requires  floor 
covering  of  modern  design  —  yet,  the  scope  of 
the  oriental  weavings,  old  and  new,  is  so 
great  in  variety  of  texture,  color,  and  design, 
that  suitable  selections  may  usually  be 
made  for  almost  any  room.  The  variety 
of  colors  in  multitudes  of  tones  and  values 
tends  to  make  the  rugs  blend  in  any  setting. 
Some  of  the  best  effects,  however,  are  gained 
by  the  use  of  rugs  woven  by  the  eastern 
workers  from  special  color  schemes  sent 
over  to  them  from  this  country.  Where 
it  is  practical  to  have  rugs  made  to  order  in 
this  way,  it  is  possible  to  have  a  wonderful 
harmony  in  color  in  the  rooms  in  which  they 
are  used. 


52  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

There  are  many  oriental  rugs  upon  the 
market,  but  it  is  distressingly  hard  for  the 
Precaution  prospective  purchaser  to  judge  of 
Necessary  values.  The  uninformed  person  is 
easily  cheated,  so  it  is  well  to  deal 


Quality  only  with  the  merchant  whose  rep- 
utation for  honesty  is  of  the  best.  The 
innumerable  oriental  rugs  with  which  America 
is  now  flooded,  are  usually  genuine,  however, 
in  that  they  are  really  hand  woven.  All 
Asia  seems  to  have  gone  to  weaving  since  the 
demand  for  eastern  floor  coverings  became 
so  universal.  However,  this  great  increase 
in  the  industry  has  given  the  inevitable 
result  of  inferior  production.  The  wool  used 
in  these  days  is  often  not  so  good,  and  poor 
aniline  dyes  are  sometimes  used  instead  of 
the  vegetable  dyes  which  were  always  used 
formerly.  Cheap  aniline  dyes  are  never  as 
soft  in  color  as  vegetable  dyes,  so  rugs  of  this 
inferior  dye  are  usually  "washed"  by  a 
chemical  process  which  softens  the  colors  but 
rots  the  wool.  A  "washed"  rug  may  occa- 
sionally be  detected  by  rubbing  a  small  spot 
with  a  moistened  handkerchief.  If  the  color 
comes  off,  the  dye  is  aniline  of  a  poor  grade 
and  the  rug  is  doomed  to  lose  its  color  with  a 


PERSIAN  PRAYER  RUG,  i6rH  CENTURY. 


(Courtesy,  Metropolitan  Museum) 


TURKOMAN  RUG. 


(Courtesy,  Metropolitan  Museum) 


CAUCASIAN  RUG,  i8rH  CENTURY. 


(Courtesy,  Metropolitan  Museum) 


(Courtesy,  Metropolitan  Museum) 
CHINESE  RUG,  CAMEL'S-HAIR,  i8ra  CENTURY. 


ORIENTAL  RUGS  S3 

comparatively  short  period  of  use.  Before 
wool  will  take  aniline  dyes  well,  the  natural 
oil  has  to  be  scoured  out  of  it  more  thoroughly 
than  when  vegetable  dyes  are  used.  This 
scouring  process  leaves  the  wool  looking  dead 
and  lifeless,  so  after  the  rug  is  dyed  with  ani- 
line colors,  a  high  luster  is  given  by  the  use 
of  a  glycerine  bath.  The  pleasing  sheen  which 
this  lends  soon  wears  oif  under  the  tread  of 
the  disappointed  purchasers. 

Small  rugs,  four  by  five  feet  and  less,  of 
modern  make,  of  good  design  and  color,  may 
be  purchased  all  the  way  from  ten  Relative 
to   fifty   dollars.      Large    rugs    and  Cost 
antiques  are  higher  in  price,  varying  according 
to  age,  beauty  in  color  and  sheen,  and  fineness 
of  texture.    The  most  expensive  rugs  some- 
times contain  1000  knots  to  the  square  inch 
and  represent  the  work  of  a  lifetime. 

Oriental  rugs  are  usually  divided  into  four 
principal  classes,  Caucasian,  Turkish,  Turko- 
man,   and    Persian.     Each  class    is  Pour 
distinguished  by  some  special  char-  Principal 

...        i     •  i    •  «  *  •        i       Classes  of 

actenstic  in  design,  and  within  the  oriental 
classes  there  are  many  subdivisions  Ru«s 
usually  easily  recognized  by  the  connoisseur, 
who  examines  not  only  the  pattern,  but  the 


54  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

material  of  the  warp,  tuft  and  pile,  and  the 
length  of  the  pile.  He  also  counts  the  number 
of  knots  to  the  square  inch,  and  determines 
the  kind  of  knot  used.  After  assembling 
all  these  points  of  identification  he  is  usually 
able  to  give  the  rug  which  is  being  examined 
the  true  name. 

The  average  buyer  of  the  more  inexpensive 

oriental  rugs  has  neither  the  knowledge  nor  the 

time  for  such  careful  examination, 

Reliable  . 

Dealers  and  must  rely  upon  only  a  few  gen- 
should  be  eral  facts  on  the  subject,  and  upon 

Patronized      ,  .    '  .    «      , 

the  word  01  a  trusted  dealer. 
Caucasian  rugs  come  from  the  Russian 
Caucasus,  once  Persian  territory,  but  ac- 
Caucasian  quired  by  Russia  in  the  nineteenth 
Russ  century.  These  rugs  bear  designs 
which  are  rectilinear  and  geometrical.  There 
are  three  principal  types,  the  Daghestans, 
Shirvans,  and  Kabistans.  Daghestan  rugs 
are  very  beautiful  with  their  silvered  tones  of 
red,  blue,  green,  and  yellow,  and  designs  of 
stars,  squares,  and  hexagons,  of  the  most 
conventional  type.  They  are  suited  for  use 
in  small  reception  rooms  where  dignity  is 
desired.  Kabistans  are  more  like  Persian  rugs, 
for  they  are  softer  in  color  than  the  Daghes- 


ORIENTAL  RUGS  55 

tans  or  Shirvans.     Stiff  animal   and  human 
forms  appear  in  the  designs  of  Kabistans. 

For    living   rooms,    libraries,    and  uses  for 
dining  rooms,  Turkish   and  Turko-  Rugfiof 

the  Second 

man  rugs  are  especially  desirable  as  and  Third 
they  are  to  be  easily  found  in  the  Class 
larger  sizes. 

Turkomans  are  distinguished  by  the  use 
of  many  octagons.  Perhaps  the  best  known 
Turkoman  is  the  Bokhara,  named  Turkoman 
after  one  of  the  most  remote  coun-  Russ 
tries  of  the  world,  seven  hundred  miles  east 
of  the  Caspian  Sea.  The  rugs  which  come 
from  this  far  country  have  octagons  and 
diamonds  in  blue  and  white  designs  on  rich 
red  backgrounds.  Long  wool  fringes  and  wide 
selvages  prevent  fraying.  Bokhara  rugs  are 
strong  in  color  and  should  never  be  used  in  a 
dainty  room.  Baluchistans,  another  type  of 
the  Turkoman  class,  are  also  well  fringed  and 
selvaged  like  the  Bokharas,  but  come  in  softer 
colors,  more  like  the  Persian  rugs. 

The    equilateral    triangle    can    always    be 
traced  in  a  Turkish  rug.     In  Ladik  or  Anato- 
lian fabrics  there  are  usually  borders  Turkish 
which  are  composed  of  figures  which  Russ 
look  like  flowers,  until  when  traced  they  are 


56  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

found  to  be  made  up  of  one  square  or  triangle 
after  another,  joined  to  give  floral  form. 
Turkish  rugs  are  woven  in  soft  tones  of  the 
primary  colors,  blended  with  a  skill  that  gives 
a  subdued  effect.  The  designs  are  apt  to  be 
very  symmetrical  and  the  center  of  the  field 
of  the  rug  is  often  pointed  at  both  ends, 
except  in  the  case  of  the  prayer  rugs.  The 
Kaba-Karaman  and  Anatolian  prayer  rugs 
are  seen  most  often  for  sale. 

The  finest  rugs  in  the  world  are  woven  in 
Persia.  Rug  weaving  in  Persia  is  especially 
Persian  fostered  by  national  pride  and 
Russ  strongly  encouraged  by  the  rulers  of 
that  country.  Great  care  is  taken  to  keep 
the  rugs  woven  here  from  deteriorating  in 
excellence,  and  the  use  of  aniline  dyes  is  abso- 
lutely prohibited  for  this  reason.  Persian  rugs 
are  characterized  by  soft,  exquisite  coloring 
and  a  floral  design. 

The  most  interesting  of  the  Persian  rugs 
are  the  Kirman.  The  hues  of  these  rugs  are 
very  delicate  and  the  plant,  flower, 
and  bird  form  designs  are  treated  less 
Persian  geometrically  and  more  naturalisti- 
cally  than  those  of  any  other  oriental 
rugs.  They  are  unusually  soft  and  silky  and 


ORIENTAL  RUGS  57 

have  a  beautiful  sheen.  Saraband  rugs  are 
woven  in  the  mountains  of  western  Persia 
and  derive  their  designs  from  the  pine  trees 
found  there.  Rows  of  small  pine  cones  usually 
fill  the  central  field,  the  stems  of  the  cones 
pointing  alternate  ways.  The  colors  are  red, 
blue,  and  ivory.  Quaint  medallion  effects 
are  found  in  Saruk  and  Tabriz  rugs.  These 
rugs  are  delicate  in  coloring,  and  of  admirable 
weave,  and  are  among  the  most  popular  of 
the  many  types  of  Persian  rugs. 

There  are  many  other  types  of  the  four 
classes  of  oriental  rugs,  each  reflecting  the 
thought  and  customs  of  some  period  TheCharm 
in  the  history  of  the  country  from  of  the 
which  they  come.  Commercialism  Antique 
has  cheapened  the  design  and  color  in  many 
instances,  but  the  charm  of  a  human  quality 
still  remains  and  no  manufactured  rug  can 
ever  supply  that  personal  element.  The  an- 
tique oriental  rugs  were  the  result  of  years  of 
patient  effort.  The  thoughts,  emotions,  his- 
tory, and  legends  of  the  regions  from  which 
they  come,  are  faithfully  recorded  in  the  rugs. 
The  most  beautiful  rug  was,  to  the  girl  of  the 
Orient,  what  the  painstaking  sampler  was  to 
the  child  of  our  grandparents'  day.  No  work 


58  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

was  too  fine,  no  effort  was  too  great,  for  the 
rug,  when  at  last  completed,  was  to  last  a 
generation  and  more,  cherished  as  a  household 
treasure. 

The  modern  rugs  are  made  for  commerce 
rather  than  for  home  use  in  their  native  land, 
The  but  still,  a  feeling  of  loyalty  to,  and 

Modern  reverence  for,  the  craft  of  their  ances- 
tors inspires  the  workmen  and  work- 
women of  to-day  with  an  affectionate  enthu- 
siasm which  must  inevitably  show  in  their 
finished  products.  Though  the  stitches  are 
hurried  and  often  not  nearly  so  fine,  the  same 
ancient  symbols  are  used  in  the  designs,  and 
many  quaint  legends  may  be  traced  through 
the  mesh  of  the  intricate  patterns. 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  ORIENTAL  RUGS 

PERSIAN 

Yuruk  Niris 

Herez;  Bakshich,  Gorevan,  Serapi  Kurdish 

Laristan  Karadagh 

Kirman  Senna 

Koultuk  Kashan 

Saruk  Souj-Boulak 

Ispahan  Kurdistan 
Sultanabad;       Savalans,      Muskabad,     Bijar 

Mahal  Jooshaghan 

Khorassan  Feraghan;  Antique 


ORIENTAL  RUGS 


59 


Meshed;  Meshed  Ispahan  (good) 
Herat;  Ayin  (cheap  grade) 
Hamadan;  Oustrinan,  Karaguez 
Saraband;   Selville  (poor) 


Beshire 

Samarkand 

Bokhara 


Soumack 

Daghestan 

Leshgian 

Chichi 

Shirvan 


TURKOMAN 


CAUCASIAN 


Shiraz 
Kirmanshah 
-Tabriz 
Mosul 


Afghan 

Baluchistan 

Yomund 


Kazak 

Genghis 

Derbend 

Karabagh 

Kabistan 


TURKISH 


Bergamo 
Kulah;  Modern 
Oushak;  Yaprak,  Kirman 
Demirdji;   Enile,  Gulistan 
Ghiordes;  Modern,  Hammadieh 
Cassaba;   Sparta 
Kulah;   Antique 
Ghiordes;  Antique 
Ladik;  Antique 


Kaba-Karamah 
Konieh ;   Modern 
Meles  or  Cardian 
Akhissar 
Makri 
Anatolian 
Caesarian 
Kirshebn 


REFERENCES 
DUNN,  ELIZA 

Rugs  in  Their  Native  Land. 

Dodd,  Mead  &  Company,  New  York,  1910. 
History,  Chapter  I. 
Doctored  Rugs,  Chapter  IV. 


60  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

HOLT,  ROSA  BELLE 

Rugs,  Oriental  and  Occidental,  Antique  and  Modern. 
A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.,  1908. 
Chinese,  Chapter  IV. 
Symbols,  Chapter  VI. 
MUMFORD,  JOHN  KIMBERLY 
Oriental  Rugs. 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York,  1901. 
Caucasian,  Chapter  IX. 
Turkish,  Chapter  X. 
Persian,  Chapter  XL 
Turkoman,  Chapter  XII. 
RIPLEY,  MARY  CHURCHILL 
The  Oriental  Rug  Book. 

Frederick  A.  Stokes  Co.,  New  York. 
Materials,  Chapter  V. 


CHAPTER  VI 

A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE 

The  Home  of  Ancient  and  Medieval  Times  and  Its 
Furniture  —  The  Renaissance  —  Period  Styles  of 
Furniture  —  The  Modern  Reawakening.] 

ONE  of  the  foremost  interior  decorators  of 
the  country  recently  said  that  his  greatest 
trouble  came  with  otherwise  cultured  y 
women  who  had  the  idea  firmly  fixed  ideas  of 


in  their  minds  that  there  were  just 
three      styles      of      furniture.     All  Period 
straight-lined  furniture,  to  them,  is  Furmture 
mission,   all   mahogany  with   glass   knobs   is 
colonial,  and  all  painted  or  gilded  furniture 
is  Louis  the  Sixteenth  ! 

Although  there  are  many  more  than  three 
styles  in  furniture,  it  is  nevertheless  extremely 
difficult  to  give  even  an  approximate  Many 
number.     Timms   and   Webb,   in   a  styles 
recent  work  illustrating  furniture  from  about 
5000    B.C.    down  to  the    present    day,   give 
thirty-five  distinct  styles.     Other  authorities, 
however,  differ  greatly.     Many  of  the  styles 

61 


62  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

blend  so  gradually  into  those  preceding  and 
succeeding,  that,  if  a  line  is  drawn  between 
them  at  all,  it  must  be  purely  arbitrary. 

The  furniture  of  the  ancient  has  little 
bearing  upon  our  needs  to-day  —  a  fortunate 
F  'ture  circumstance>  considering  our  meager 
of  Ancient  knowledge.  We  know  that  the 
Sted  to  Egyptians  constructed  their  house- 
Modem  hold  furniture  in  stone,  the  Greeks 
and  Romans  in  marble  and  bronze, 
and  the  people  of  the  Middle  Ages  in  wood. 
Little  of  the  furniture  of  that  time  is  now  in 
existence.  In  fact,  our  knowledge  is  chiefly 
due  to  old  drawings,  usually  in  the  form  of 
tapestries  representing  historical  events.  In 
these  old  records  the  furniture  is  merely  a 
detail,  an  accessory  used  in  the  background 
to  illustrate  a  situation.  A  bench  or  settle 
figures  in  an  interview  between  a  knight  and  a 
lady,  a  chair  of  state  is  rudely  indicated  in  the 
story  of  a  coronation  ceremony,  or  a  long 
banquet  table  serves  as  a  center  about  which 
valiant  warriors  gather.  Without  the  aid  of 
these  manuscripts,  if  they  may  be  called  such, 
all  domestic  furniture  made  prior  to  the 
thirteenth  century  would  be  largely  a  matter 
of  conjecture.  Fragments  from  many  of  these 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  63 

manuscripts  have  been  fitted  together,  so  that 
we  now  have  a  fairly  clear  picture  of  the  life 
and  homes  of  the  people  of  that  time. 

The  house,  or  home,  of  the  Middle  Ages 
contained  one  large  room  called  the  heal, 
which  served  as  a  dining,  living,  and 

,         .  A   i  •    •    •  •      The  Home 

sleeping    apartment.     Adjoining    it  Ofthe 
was  the  bower,  or  chamber  for  the  Middle 

A  »oq 

ladies  of  the  household.  There  was 
little  furniture  in  the  main  room.  A  long 
rude  table,  composed  of  a  board  laid  upon 
trestles,  occupied  the  center  of  the  floor,  and 
about  it  were  placed  rough  stools  and  benches 
for  the  members  of  the  family  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  lord  and  his  lady.  For  them  were 
placed  two  rudely  constructed  chairs,  usually 
the  only  chairs  in  the  house.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  cloths  or  tapestries  bearing  legends 
of  the  time,  which  served  to  keep  out  wind  and 
cold.  A  hearth  fire  placed  below  an  opening 
in  the  roof  furnished  the  necessary  warmth, 
and  illumination  was  provided  by  means  of 
torches  and  extremely  primitive  lamps. 
The  bower  contained  a  bed,  sometimes  a 

bench  or  stool,  and  always  a  chest 

£  i  •    j       TII          i  1       The  Bower 

ol  some  kind.     The  chest  was  the 

most  important  article  in  the  house  and  hid 
all  valued  possessions. 


64  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  Middle  Ages 

the  chairs  and  chests  were  decorated  to  some 

extent.      The  Gothic  style  of  archi- 

ningsof       tecture  became  the  vogue,  and  the 

Gothic  pointed  or  Gothic  arch  and  Gothic 
Style  .  ,  ,  .  , 

carving  were  introduced  into  the  con- 
struction of  furniture.  The  English  corona- 
tion chair,  showing  the  arch  and  the  quatrefoil, 
an  ornamental  foliation  having  four  lobes  or 
foils,  was  built  at  this  period,  and  happily 
has  not  been  destroyed  in  succeeding  cen- 
turies. 

During  the  eleventh,   twelfth,   thirteenth, 
fourteenth,  and  fifteenth  centuries,  the  Gothic 

Details  of  sty'e  °^  architecture  endured.  The 
Gothic  pointed  arch,  the  trefoil,  the  quatre- 
style  foil,  and  simple  tracery  were  used 
upon  massive  furniture,  the  Gothic  treatment 
being  confined  mostly  to  decoration,  the  con- 
struction little  affected  by  it.  Toward  the 
close  of  the  fifteenth  century  the  carving 
became  heavy  and  more  complicated,  the 
lines  of  the  furniture  less  beautiful,  and  ani- 
mals and  grotesque  heads  were  combined  with 
Gothic  details. 

The  plan  of  the  home  remained  much  the 
same,  distinctly  feudal  in  character.     Chests 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  65 

became  elaborately  carved  and  inlaid.     Beds 
were  surrounded  by  carved  and  latticed  walls. 
Rude  tables  took  the  place  of  the  Much 
board   and   trestle,    and   the    chairs  Oma- 

,          .111  •  i  mental 

were  heavily  laden  with  ornamenta-  carving 
tion.    Only  one  distinctly  new  article  Used 
of  furniture  seems  to  have  appeared  during 
these  two  centuries,  and  that  was  the  cupboard, 
upon  which  a  wealth  of  ornament  and  detail 
was  heaped. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  a 
great  change  took  place  in  all  handcraft.  A 
new  force  born  in  Italy  gradually  TheRe 
spread  throughout  Europe  and  sup-  naissance 
planted  Gothic  art.  The  Renais-  faltaly 
sance  was  a  sudden  spontaneous  outburst  of 
intellectual  energy  in  the  arts  and  inventions, 
knowledge  and  books,  which  had  long  lain 
neglected  during  the  Middle  Ages.  The 
awakening  began  in  Italy,  and  the  whole  coun- 
try seemed  all  at  once  to  be  endowed  with 
an  instinct  for  the  beautiful,  and  also  with 
the  capacity  for  producing  it  in  every  form. 
From  Italy  the  reform  wave  spread  rapidly  to 
France  and  Spain,  then  to  Germany  and  the 
Low  Countries,  and  at  last  to  England  and 
the  new  world  of  America. 


66  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

One  often  hears  the  Renaissance  spoken  of 
as  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  we  are  still  in  the 
Furniture  onward  movement  although  the  first 

Designs  vigor  is  over.  At  the  first  no  article 
were  -  r  . 

adapted  of  furniture  was  too  commonplace  to 
to  Use  receive  the  attention  of  the  greatest 
artists  of  the  day.  Designs  were  made  with 
reference  to  their  setting,  and  the  furniture 
for  the  home  became  less  heavy  and  clumsy, 
so  that  it  no  longer  was  suggestive  of  the 
cathedral  or  the  abbey.  The  household  ap- 
pointments were  for  the  first  time  in  history 
made  with  a  careful  regard  for  the  needs  of 
the  owner,  his  station  in  life,  and  his  manner 
of  living.  The  homes  of  the  early  Renaissance 
began  to  take  on  a  harmony  as  a  whole,  as 
well  as  a  wealth  of  exquisite  detail,  which  had 
hitherto  been  absent,  but  which  we  of  the 
present  day  are  still  striving  to  perfect. 

Before  many  years  had  passed,  homes  began 
to  look  more  comfortable.  Chairs,  benches, 
and  tables  were  loosened  from  their  stiff 
positions  against  the  walls,  and  new  furniture 
was  invented  and  added,  as  occasion  and  need 
arose.  Chairs  became  upholstered,  tables 
gained  more  beautiful  lines  and  exquisite 
carving,  and  cabinets  and  chests  of  drawers 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  67 

augmented  the  old  cupboard,  and  dower 
coffers.  Clocks,  mirrors,  and  screens  became 
universal.  In  the  palaces  all  was  luxurious 
beauty.  Sunken  panels  in  the  woodwork 
were  ornamented  by  carved  rosettes  in  high 
relief,  often  gilded.  The  halls  were  hung 
with  exquisite  tapestries  and  massively  framed 
pictures,  and  the  horizontal  beaming  of  the 
ceilings,  in  its  complexity,  has  come  down  to 
the  present  time  as  a  beautiful  example  of 
the  period. 

From  Italy,  the  spirit  of  the  Renaissance 
spread  to  France,  but  here  the  transitional 
period  was  of  longer  duration,  due  TheFr 
to  the  Gothic  art  being  more  firmly  Renais- 
rooted  in  France  than  in  the  south.  sance 
The  ornamental  woodwork  of  the  French  in 
the  early  years  of  the  Renaissance  differs 
strongly  from  the  Italian  work  of  the  same 
period.  It  is  lighter,  more  delicate,  the 
carving  more  open,  and  the  whole  less  depend- 
ent upon  the  antique  models.  In  the  cabi- 
nets the  furniture  makers  seem  to  have 
reveled  especially  in  use  of  their  talent. 
The  construction  of  this  article  gave  oppor- 
tunity for  artistic  shaping  and  decoration 
which  was  impossible  in  bed,  chair,  or  table. 


68  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  great  devotion  of  time  and  skill  which 
the  medieval  workmen  spent  upon  the 
chest  was  now  lavished  upon  the  cabinet  of 
the  Renaissance. 

In  Germany,  and  the  Low  Countries,  as  in 
Spain  also,  the  Renaissance  developed  on 
The  Re-  original  lines.  A  simpler,  sturdier 
naissance  form  arose  than  that  of  France  and 
many  and  Italy.  Heads  and  grotesque  masks 
Spain  were  introduced  with  good  effect 
into  cabinet  work.  Marquetry  was  excelled 
in  by  the  Dutch,  and  in  Flanders  a  distinct 
type  of  chair  arose  with  turned  woodwork 
and  cane  seat  and  back.  The  Flemish  style, 
more  than  any  other,  influenced  the  Spanish 
Renaissance.  There  are  many  chairs  from 
that  period,  the  woodwork  much  like  those 
in  Flanders,  the  back  and  seat  of  stamped  or 
carved  leather. 

By  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century 
the  Renaissance  had  reached  England,  and  a 
The  En  style  arose  there  called  the  Tudor, 
lish  Re-  which  was  a  mingling  of  the  Italian, 
naissance  French?  and  Flemish,  the  latter  pre- 
dominating. We  Americans  are  especially 
interested  in  this  style  because  the  chairs 
which  the  first  colonists  brought  over  from 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  69 

England  belong  to  this  period,  and  the  carved 
chairs  made  in  this  country  in  the  early  days 
show  the  Flemish-Tudor  influence. 

This  style  became  more  fixed  and  distinctly 
English  after  Elizabeth  came  to  the  throne. 
From  that  time  on  it  was   known  TheEliza 
as    the    Elizabethan,    but    there    is  bethan 
really    no    distinction.     A    style    of  style 
carving  known  as  the  linen  fold  and  the  strap 
work  was  used  especially  upon  cabinets. 

The  Jacobean  style  was  an  outgrowth  of 
the  Elizabethan,  and  was  very  similar,  but 
of  a  lighter  and  more  graceful  con-  The 
struction.  This  style  endured  from  Jacobean 
the  accession  of  James  I  until  the  style 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  "thou- 
sand-legged table,"  in  England  called  the 
"gate-leg  table,"  is  a  product  of  this  period 
as  was  also  the  wainscot  chair,  a  combination 
chair  and  table  in  which  the  back  of  the  seat 
formed  the  top  of  the  table.  The  turned 
furniture  legs  of  the  Flemish  naturally  gave 
rise  to  the  more  graceful  spiral  leg.  The 
finest  type  of  spiral  was  carved  by  hand  and 
was  very  beautiful.  It  was  used  for  tables, 
chairs,  and  elevated  cupboards.  English  oak 
was  the  chief  material,  but  later  in  the  seven- 


70  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

teenth  century  a  great  change  was  made  by 
the  introduction  of  walnut.  This  did  not 
lend  itself  to  easy  carving,  so  paneling  and 
marquetry,  with  applied  drops,  spindles,  and 
nail  heads  were  used. 

The  seventeenth  century  closed  with  the 
furniture  of  Louis  XIV,  a  style  which  ever 
The  Louis  since  that  day  has  been  misunder- 
XIV  Style  stood  and  misused.  It  was  designed 
by  a  man  named  Andre  Boulle,  who,  with 
his  brother  artists,  perfected  a  type  well 
suited  to  pompous  and  luxurious  court  life. 
It  was  heavily  ornamented  with  shell  and 
brass  in  what  was  called  the  rococo  style  of 
decoration.  The  legs  of  tables  and  chairs 
were  at  first  straight  and  then  carved,  inlaid 
and  veneered  with  gilt  or  brass.  The  furni- 
ture, although  ornate,  was  consistent  with 
its  surroundings,  and  was  not  without  beauty, 
inasmuch  as  beauty  of  construction  was 
never  lost  sight  of. 

By  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the  reign 
of  Louis  XV  French  furniture  had  changed 
The  Louis  somewhat  in  its  character.  Decora- 
xv  style  tion  grew  more  and  more  ornate, 
and  the  magnificent  and  stately  extravagance 
of  Louis  XIV  turned  into  a  daintier  but  no 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  71 

less  extravagant  style.  There  was  more  vari- 
ety in  design  and  a  larger  use  of  carved  metal 
ornament  and  gilt  bronze.  Shells,  shaped 
foliage,  roses,  seaweed,  and  strings  of  pearls 
elaborated  all  designs,  and  were  introduced 
principally  by  Charles  Cressant,  a  great 
artist  of  that  time.  There  are  still  existing 
many  beautiful  examples  of  his  work.  Some 
of  the  wood  which  he  used  was  left  in  the 
natural  finish,  but  more  often  it  was  painted, 
enameled,  gilded,  and  carved.  The  legs  of 
his  chairs  were  curved  and  the  arms  and 
backs  were  also  curved,  carved,  and  gilded. 
Gobelin,  Ambusson,  and  Beauvais  tapestry, 
with  Watteau  designs,  were  used  for  the  uphol- 
stery. An  air  of  gayety,  richness,  extrava- 
gance, and  beauty  was  given  by  all  the  furniture 
of  this  time,  which,  while  not  fitting  in  with 
our  modern  ideas  of  beauty  as  applied  to  use, 
still  was  well  adapted  to  its  own  time. 

Toward    the   latter   part   of   the    reign   of 
Louis  XV  the  furniture  became  too  Transition 
excessively  rococo  in   style,   due  to  g^of 
the  influence  of  another  artist,  Jules  Louis  XV 
Aurele  Meissonier,  who  brought  into  Jj  ^s 
French    use    some    phases    of    the  xvi 
decadent    Italian    taste    of    that    time.     He 


72  INTERIOR   DECORATION       . 

believed  in  putting  curves  and  convolutions 
everywhere,  broke  up  all  straight  lines,  and 
disregarded  all  rules  of  symmetry.  He  car- 
ried the  rococo  style  to  its  limit  in  lavish 
decoration,  and  as  his  power  of  invention  was 
marvelous,  his  output  of  designs  was  very 
great.  The  furniture  designed  after  the 
ideas  of  this  man  was  not  beautiful  and  is 
too  often  accepted  by  people  to-day  as  the 
typical  style  of  Louis  XV.  The  greatest 
contribution  of  this  later  furniture  of  Louis 

XV  was   of   a   negative   character.     By   its 
extreme    extravagance    it    brought    about    a 
reaction    against    the   ornate    rococo    school 
which     influenced    all    succeeding    furniture 
making. 

Louis  XVI  furniture  is  in  pleasant  con- 
trast. It  was  characterized  by  simplicity 
The  Louis  of  construction  and  severity  of  orna- 

XVI  style    ment.     The    rococo    details    disap- 
peared, and  once  more  antique  models  were 
sought  for  decorations  as  well  as  for  forms. 
Straight  lines  replaced  flowing  scrolls,  hori- 
zontal bands  superseded  fantastic  moldings, 
cupid  and  rose-garlanded  panels  gave  way  to 
rectangular    spaces    decorated    with    classic 
emblems.     In    chairs    and    tables    the    sup- 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  73 

ports  were  fluted,  tapering  slightly  at  the 
base.  The  oak  leaf,  laurel,  and  bay  leaf  were 
often  used  in  the  scheme  of  decoration.  Gild- 
ing, inlay,  and  enamel  were  still  often  used, 
but  during  this  period  the  first  mahogany 
was  imported,  and  many  beautiful  pieces  of 
furniture  were  constructed  of  the  new  wood 
alone.  The  furniture  of  Louis  XVI  shows 
its  relationship  very  strongly  to  the  furniture 
of  Louis  XV.  It  is  quite  remarkable  that  a 
style  which  was  the  direct  outgrowth  of  a 
former  period  should  have  so  completely 
absorbed  all  of  the  good  qualities  and  none 
of  the  bad  qualities  of  its  predecessor. 

During  this  time  the  furniture  of  the  Dutch 
people  had  been  finding  its  way  into  Eng- 
land and  influencing  English  design.  The  Queen 
But  it  was  not  until  the  reign  of  Anne  Style 
Queen  Anne  that  the  Dutch  and  English 
designs  were  completely  assimilated.  For 
this  reason  the  perfected  style  was  known 
by  the  name  of  the  sovereign  reigning  at 
that  period.  The  Queen  Anne  furniture  was 
of  great  simplicity  and  grace.  The  earliest 
chairs  and  tables  had  cabriole  legs  and 
plain  Dutch  feet,  and  the  chairs  had  the 
solid  splat  and  spoon-shaped  back  with 


74  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

rounded  ends  to  the  top.  In  the  later  Queen 
Anne  chairs  a  modified  Spanish  foot  was 
sometimes  used.  A  small  amount  of  carv- 
ing was  sometimes  used  in  decoration,  but 
it  was  always  subordinated  greatly  to  the 
graceful  lines  of  the  furniture. 

The  Chippendale  brothers  of  England,    in 
their  earliest  work,  copied  to  a  great  extent 
the  Queen  Anne  models  with  cab- 


unip- 

pendale  riole  legs  and  modified  Dutch  feet. 
style  Very  soon,  however,  they  developed 
their  own  originality  and  used  the  ball  and 
claw  foot,  and  pierced  and  carved  the  splat 
in  the  chair  back.  Later,  the  straight-legged 
Chippendale  chair  came  into  favor,  and  the 
Chinese  art  influenced  the  carving,  making 
it  more  delicate  and  fantastic.  The  later 
chairs  also  showed  French  and  Gothic  tend- 
encies, and  were  not  nearly  as  successful  as 
the  early  models.  The  chief  characteristic 
of  the  Chippendale  chair  is  usually  a  pierced 
splat  richly,  and  often  fantastically,  carved, 
surmounted  by  a  bow-shaped  top-piece  turn- 
ing down  in  the  middle  and  up  at  the  ends. 
The  one  exception  is  what  is  called  the  ladder- 
back  chair,  but  in  this,  too,  the  bow-shaped 
feature  is  distinct. 


(Copr.,  1916,  Good  Furniture  Magazine) 
A  HANDSOME  CHIPPENDALE  SECRETARY, 
CHAIR,  AND  TABLE. 


(Copr.,  1916,  Good  Furniture 

A    SHERATON     SECRETARY    AND    A    REED- 
BOTTOMED  CHAIR  OF  EARLY  COLONIAL  DAYS. 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  75 

The  Chippendale  brothers  worked  entirely 
in  mahogany,  that  wood  having  been  imported 
for  the  first  time  just  before  their  Theinflu- 
day.     If  they  had  had  to  work  in  ^^n_ 
either  oak  or  walnut,  it  is  doubtful  mentupon 
if  the  results   would    have   been  so  ^terials 
beautiful.     Each  style  is  greatly  in-  Designs 
fluenced  by   its  own  environment,  and  it  is 
amusing  to  know  that  the  reason  Chippen- 
dale   and    other    furniture    makers    of    the 
eighteenth   century   constructed   their  chairs 
with    broadly    spreading    arms,    made    them 
without    arms    entirely,    and    also    invented 
the  settee,  was  because  the  women  of  that 
day  wore  immense  hoop  skirts  ! 

Scarcely  less  beautiful  than  the  Chippen- 
dale style  is  the  Hepplewhite.  Hepple- 
white's  work  is  more  delicate  and  , 

1116    xicp- 

dainty.     He  used  inlay  very  effec-  piewhite 
tively,    straight,    tapering    legs    and  style 
spade   feet.     His   shield-shaped    chairs    have 
brought  him  the  greatest  renown,  perhaps,  with 
the    exception   of   his    serpentine  sideboards, 
which  are  strikingly  graceful.    He  worked  with 
a  man  named  Shearer,  whose  eye  for  propor- 
tion was  indisputable.     It  is  unfortunate  that 
Hepplewhite's  construction  was  often  faulty. 


76  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  work  of  Hepplewhite  was  greatly 
influenced  by  two  architects  of  the  middle 
The  Adam  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Style  James  Adam  and  his  brother  Robert 
probably  never  designed  the  furniture  which 
is  attributed  to  them,  but  to  them  was 
largely  due  the  reaction  that  took  place  at 
this  time,  —  a  sudden  great  impetus  toward 
simplicity  and  classic  forms.  The  style  was 
similar  in  many  respects  to  that  of  Louis 
XVI.  The  straight  line,  the  arabesque  scroll- 
work, the  gayety,  lightness,  and  formality 
are  common  to  both.  The  essence  of  the 
Adam  style  might  be  said  to  be  simplicity, 
elegant  slenderness,  and  low  relief.  The  arm 
is  an  important  ornament;  the  bell  flower, 
delicate  scrolls,  drapery,  the  fluted  shell,  and 
medallion.  Lions'  and  eagles'  claws  are  used 
for  feet. 

The  influence  of  the  Adams  on  the  furni- 
ture makers  of  their  time  was  very  marked. 
The  Shera-  Sheraton  did  not  imitate  them,  but 
ton  Style  he  embodied  in  his  furniture  a  true 
Adam  feeling  for  simplicity.  While  Sheraton 
was  the  last  of  the  trio  of  great  master  furni- 
ture makers  of  the  eighteenth  century,  he 
certainly  cannot  be  said  to  be  least.  In 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  77 

fact,  some  authorities  maintain  that  while 
Chippendale  and  Hepplewhite  were  fine  work- 
men, Sheraton  was  a  poet.  Sheraton  carved, 
painted,  and  inlaid  his  furniture,  using,  and 
often  improving  upon,  the  ideas  of  his  two 
great  predecessors.  He  seldom  used  the 
shield  back  of  Hepplewhite,  and  never  the 
pierced  splat  back  of  Chippendale.  While 
Chippendale  avoided  the  straight  line,  Shera- 
ton used  it  a  great  deal.  His  chairs  are  al- 
most always  distinguished  by  a  straight  top 
to  the  back,  and  rectangular  legs.  In  his 
sideboards,  tables,  and  desks  where  curved 
lines  were  used,  he  introduced  the  fluted 
column  of  Louis  XVI.  His  furniture  always 
seems  thoroughly  consistent  in  design,  that 
final  test  of  consummate  art. 

The  last  great  epoch  in  furniture  making 
arose   in   the  early   days   of  the   nineteenth 
century.     It  was  influenced  by  the  The 
French   Revolution,   and   victory  is  Empire 
stamped  over  all  its  furniture  in  the  S1yle 
form  of  wreaths  and  torches  or  other  warlike 
emblems.     The    Empire    artists    lauded    the 
classics   as   never  before,    and    Roman    and 
Grecian     decorations    were     used     lavishly. 
Marquetry  was  discarded,  but  plain  surfaces 


78  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

were  covered  with  massive  carving.  In  its 
plainer  form  the  Empire  type  was  dignified 
and  full  of  beauty,  having  qualities  of  repose 
and  stability  which  outranked  some  of  its 
predecessors.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that, 
toward  the  last,  the  decorations  came  to  be 
extravagant,  even  to  the  grotesque.  The 
Empire  style  probably  had  more  effect  upon 
furniture  making  in  America  than  any  other. 
It  came  at  a  time  when  the  industry  on  this 
side  of  the  water  was  at  its  height,  and  con- 
sequently a  large  majority  of  the  so-called 
colonial  furniture  is  of  this  type. 

After  the  Empire,  there  was  no  other  dis- 
tinctive style  of  any  value  produced  during 
the    remainder    of    the    nineteenth 

Transition 

to  Modern  century.  There  was  a  great  quan- 
styies  t-tv  Q£  furn;ture  manufactured,  but 

it  was  a  sad  combination  of  many  old  forms 
and  little  thought.  The  result  was  the  large 
number  of  black  walnut  pieces,  carved  and 
decorated  with  countless  turned  "icicle"  pen- 
dants and  the  stamped  and  inlaid  light  oak 
furniture.  In  the  past  few  years  two  rather 
fantastic  modes  have  come  somewhat  into 
favor,  the  British  New  Art  andL'Art  Nouveau. 
These  can  hardly  be  ranked  as  furniture 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  FURNITURE  79 

styles,  but  rather  as  fads  running  parallel 
with  the  present  craze  for  hand-beaten  metal 
wear  and  jewelry.  Mission  furniture,  too, 
has  achieved  a  great  popularity,  and  very 
suitably  fills  the  need  for  a  cheap  but  durable 
style. 

Historians  predict  that,  because  of  the 
unusual  prosperity  of  our  present  time,  there 
will  soon  come  a  great  reaction  from  A  New  Re- 
rapid  money  making  toward  art  for  aa*88*"106 
art's  sake.  If  their  prophecy  is  correct,  the 
twentieth  century  may  still  give  us  furni- 
ture makers  whose  work  will  rank  with  that 
of  Chippendale,  Sheraton,  and  Hepplewhite. 

REFERENCES 
CLIFFORD,  C.  R. 
Period  Furnishings. 
Clifford  &  Lawton,  New  York,  1915. 
Colonial,  p.  203. 
Gothic  Designs,  p.  64. 
EBERLEIN,  HAROLD  DONALDSON,  AND 
MCCLURE,  ABBOT 

The  Practical  Book  of  Period  Furniture. 

J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia  &  London,  1914. 
Periods,  Chapters  II-XIV. 

KlMERLY,   W.   L. 

How  to  Know  Period  Styles  in  Furniture. 
Grand  Rapids  Furniture  Record  Co.,  Grand  Rapids, 

Mich.,  1913. 
Typical  Examples. 


80  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

MACQUOID,  PERCY 

History  of  English  Furniture. 

Lawrence  &  Bullen,  London,  1906. 
Age  of  Oak,  Vol.  I. 
Age  of  Walnut,  Vol.  II. 
Age  of  Mahogany,  Vol.  III. 


CHAPTER  VII 

MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE 

Types  of  the  Antiques  which  are  Reproduced  —  Con- 
sistent Use  of  Period  Styles  in  the  Various  Rooms 
of  the  Home  —  Bisymmetric  and  Occult  Balance  — 
Comfort. 

THERE  are  a  very  few  families  at  the  present 
time  where  rare  old  furniture  has  descended 
from  generation  to  generation  in  any 
considerable  quantity,  and  the  pur-  and  Re- 
chase  of  genuine  antiques  is  often  Productions 
out  of  the  question.  Indeed,  the  seeker  after 
old  furniture  must  ever  be  on  guard,  for  the 
manufacture  of  so-called  antiques  has  come 
to  be  a  most  clever  and  flourishing  industry. 
As  with  the  antique  oriental  rug,  antique 
furniture  should  be  purchased  only  from  a 
reliable  dealer.  Unlike  the  oriental  rugs, 
however,  which  have  never  been  satisfac- 
torily imitated,  the  period  furniture  which  is 
turned  out  in  our  factories  to-day  is  in  every 
way  as  beautiful  as  the  rare  old  pieces  of  our 
forefathers.  The  designs  are  good,  and  true 

G  81 


82  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  type,  and  the  wood  is  strong  and  beautiful 
in  grain,  while  the  masterful  polishing  which 
brings  out  the  exquisite  markings  is  far 
ahead  of  the  ancient  finish. 

In  the  reproductions  of  old  furniture,  it  is 
noticeable  that  the  manufacture  of  the  most 

beautiful  and  suitable  styles  is  be- 
The  More  .  ,  i  -, 

Simple  coming  greater  year  by  year,  while 
Types  the  types  of  lesser  merit  are  grad- 
ually disappearing.  The  elaborate 
and  heavily  carved  furniture  of  the  early 
Italian  and  French  days  is  not  now  often 
reproduced,  and  of  the  later  periods,  the  most 
simple  designs  are  retained.  Each  one  of 
the  old  masters  made  many  designs,  a  few 
of  which  were  good,  and  many  of  which  were 
poor.  The  finest  furniture  was  usually  built 
on  plain,  strong  lines,  and  it  is  from  these 
pieces  that  the  manufacturer  of  to-day  selects 
his  models. 

Furniture  of  different  periods   is   adapted 
to    various    types    of    homes.     The    greatest 
sense    of    unity    can    often    be    ob- 
tained in  a  home  by  planning  gar- 
Period         c[enj  house,  and  furnishings   to  con- 
form   to    one    certain    period.     The 
absurdity  of  a  Japanese  garden  and  a  house 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     83 

built  on  the  lines  of  a  Swiss  chalet  and  filled 
with  colonial  furniture  is  apparent  at  once, 
and  yet  mistakes  equally  great  are  often 
made.  The  landscape  gardener  of  to-day  is 
fortunately  furthering  a  sentiment  for  unity 
between  house  and  grounds,  and  the  interior 
decorator  carries  that  idea  one  step  farther 
to  the  inside  of  the  house  as  well. 

Each  type  of  furniture  of  the  chosen  period 
contains  enough  styles  to  furnish  all  of  the 
different  rooms  of  a  home.  There  xheUseof 
are  heavy  and  more  formal  pieces  Different 
which  are  suitable  for  the  hall,  dig-  the  Same 
nified  chairs  and  tables  for  the  din-  Period 
ing  room,  and  lighter  furniture  for  the  living 
rooms  and  bedrooms.  There  is  the  greatest 
economy  in  the  purchase  of  furniture  of  one 
period  for  the  entire  house,  because  the  pieces 
are  interchangeable  between  the  various 
rooms.  Articles  from  the  bedrooms  may  be 
used  in  the  living  room  when  desired,  and 
the  chairs  belonging  to  the  dining  room  suite, 
when  not  in  daily  use,  may  serve  the  purpose 
of  straight  chairs  in  living  room  and  hall. 
The  sense  of  unity  given  by  similar  furnish- 
ing also  adds  greatly  to  the  apparent  size  of 
the  house,  as  the  observer  passes  from  room 


84  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  room.  Some  of  the  manufacturers  of  this 
country  are  making  a  specialty  of  designing 
period  furniture  for  the  entire  house.  The 
complete  list  of  furniture  may  be  purchased 
from  the  one  firm  with  a  minimum  of  expense 
and  worry,  and  additional  pieces  may  easily 
be  obtained  whenever  desired.  The  same 
firms  will  also  make  special  adaptations 
in  design,  woods,  and  stains  to  suit  the 
needs  of  the  particular  house  which  is  to  be 
furnished. 

To  some  people,  however,  the  entire  house 
furnished  in  one  period  seems  rather  monot- 
Furniture  onous,  and  more  variety  is  desired, 
styles  of  jn  thjs  case  different  rooms  may  be 
Different  .  .  .  •  i  T 

Periods       furnished  in  the  various  periods.     In 

bemused*1*7  ^arge  living  rooms  Chippendale, 
Together  Hepplewhite,  Sheraton,  and  Adam 
furniture  may  sometimes  be  used  together, 
and  chairs  and  tables  of  Louis  XIV,  XV,  and 
XVI  will  often  blend  well,  but  any  further 
mixture  of  furniture  will  usually  produce 
results  disastrous  to  unity  and  harmony. 
It  is  only  styles  which  are  so  closely  related 
that  there  are  many  points  in  common  in 
their  structure  and  decoration,  which  may 
be  successfully  placed  in  the  same  room. 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     85 

In  general  it  is  best  to  use  only  one  style  in 
each  room,  and  certain  styles  have  been 
found  to  be  especially  well  adapted  to  par- 
ticular rooms. 

The  hall  is  the  most  formal  room  in  the 
house,  and,  in  even  the  very  unpretentious 
home,  should  have  a  dignity  which  is 

.  ,    '  T      -        i       The  Hall 

given  to  no  other  place.  It  is  the 
entrance  to  the  house,  and  so  should  bespeak 
the  character  of  the  inner  rooms  to  a  certain 
extent,  but  should  preserve  an  atmosphere 
of  stateliness,  suited  to  a  room  which  is  not 
intended  for  rest  or  recreation.  Very  little 
furniture  is  desirable  in  the  hall,  but  that 
which  is  placed  there  should  be  suited  to  the 
character  of  the  place  so  that  it  seems  really 
a  part  of  the  architectural  plan.  Some  of 
the  early  Italian  and  Spanish  chairs,  tables, 
and  chests  are  admirably  adapted  for  formal 
use  in  the  modern  hall,  and  the  Tudor  and 
Jacobean  English  furniture  with  the  Flemish 
chairs  of  the  same  period  are  also  suitable. 
Of  the  eighteenth-century  furniture,  the 
early  types  of  Chippendale  and  Queen  Anne 
have  a  certain  air  of  stateliness,  and  the  heavier 
pieces  of  colonial  furniture  are  also  built 
along  lines  of  dignity.  The  hall  is  really  a 


86  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

passageway  used  to  form  a  connection  be- 
tween the  various  rooms  of  the  house,  and 
this  should  be  remembered  in  selecting  its 
furniture.  It  should  be  so  furnished  that  it  ex- 
tends an  impersonal  hospitality  to  the  person 
who  enters,  but  gives  only  a  hint  of  the  spirit 
which  is  manifested  in  the  privacy  of  the 
rooms  beyond. 

Next  to  the  hall  the  dining  room  should 
be  the  most  formal  room  in  the  house.  It 
The  Dining  should  be  bright  and  cheerful  and  in 
Room  harmony  with  the  adjoining  rooms, 
but  should  also  have  a  certain  dignity  of  its 
own  in  selection  and  arrangement  of  furni- 
ture. As  there  should  be  almost  no  attempt 
at  decoration  in  this  room,  the  table,  chairs, 
and  other  necessary  furniture  stand  out  in 
strong  relief  and  so  perhaps  should  be  the 
most  carefully  chosen  of  any  furniture  in 
the  house.  Flemish  and  Jacobean  furniture 
are  popular  for  dining  room  use  because  the 
dull  oak  used  in  these  types  is  easily  cared  for. 
In  mahogany  the  colonial  furniture  is  most 
often  used,  but  it  is  not  as  distinctive  as  the 
Chippendale,  Adam,  Hepplewhite,  and  Shera- 
ton. Hepplewhite  and  Sheraton,  being  rather 
light  in  construction,  should  be  used  only  in 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     87 

comparatively  small  rooms  so  they  may  not 
appear  trivial  in  the  formal  arrangement. 
The  furniture  of  the  time  of  Louis  XIV  may 
also  be  used  in  dining  rooms.  Although  it 
is  rather  elaborate,  it  is  also  heavy  enough 
for  this  use,  but  especial  care  should  be  taken 
with  the  selection  of  rugs,  wall  decorations, 
and  window  hangings  so  that  there  shall  be 
entire  harmony. 

There  can  be  no  pleasing  harmony  in  a 
room  unless  the  laws  of  balance  are  observed 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  furniture  Big  mmet 
and  wall  decorations.  A  room  is  ricBal- 
only  in  balance  when  its  furnishings  ^^ 
are  so  arranged  that  there  is  an  equalization 
between  attractions.  Balance  may  be  di- 
vided into  two  general  types  —  bisymmetric 
and  occult.  Bisymmetric  balance  is  gained 
by  a  mechanical  arrangement  of  like  parts  in 
like  manner  about  a  center.  Occult  balance 
is  gained  by  aesthetic  sense  of  proportion. 
The  dining  room  is  the  one  place  in  the  house 
where  bisymmetric  balance  is  most  important 
and  where  it  may  be  used  without  danger  of 
too  great  formality  and  stiffness.  No  matter 
how  small  the  dining  room  may  be,  it  always 
has  greater  charm  when  the  furniture  is 


88  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

arranged  with  dignity.  To  secure  perfect 
bisymmetric  form,  the  table  should  be  placed 
in  the  exact  center  of  the  room  and  an  imag- 
inary line  should  then  be  drawn  cutting  the 
room  into  two  equal  parts.  The  chairs, 
serving  tables,  and  buffets  should  then  be 
arranged  in  like  position  on  either  side  of  the 
room,  so  that  one  piece  of  furniture  balances 
another.  This  rule  cannot  be  followed  abso- 
lutely, of  course,  but  adaptations  may  be 
made  to  conform  to  the  architectural  details. 
Where  there  are  attractively  curtained  win- 
dows on  one  side  of  the  room  they  may  be 
balanced  by  an  interesting  buffet  or  a  wall 
decoration  placed  opposite.  Several  chairs 
may  be  grouped  formally  to  balance  a  large 
piece  of  furniture.  In  all  adaptations  and 
applications  of  this  principle,  however,  it 
will  be  found  that  the  simplest  arrangements 
are  the  best.  There  is  a  greater  sense 
of  repose,  of  rest,  in  the  dining  room  where 
there  is  to  be  found  only  the  absolutely 
necessary  pieces  of  furniture,  formally  ar- 
ranged. 

The  living  room,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
that  room  in  the  house  where  a  fine  sense  of 
occult  balance  is  needed  to  create  an  atmos- 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     89 

phere  of  rest  and  charm,  reflecting  the  indi- 
vidual tastes  and  interests  of  the  various 
occupants  of  the  room,  but  preserv- 

f  The  Living 

mg   at   the   same    time   a   unity   of  Room  and 


meaning.     The   living   room,  of   all 
rooms  in  the  house,  should  never  seem 
formal,  and  yet,  if  the  laws  of  balance  are 
not  observed,  the  greatest  confusion  in  the 
selection    and    arrangement  of  the  furniture 
is  bound  to  result. 

Colonial  or  sixteenth  century  English  fur- 
niture is  usually  the  most  suitable  for  the 
living  room.  The  modern  colonial 
furniture  of  to-day  is  usually  a  quite 
faithful  copy  of  the  furniture  made  for  the 
by  our  Puritan  fathers.  It  was  an 


adaptation  and  an  outgrowth  of  the  c°ionial 
,     \  11       >«  -  i  i      and  Six- 

furniture     made     by     Chippendale,  teenth 


Hepplewhite,  and  Sheraton  which 
was  brought  over  to  this  country  by 
the  colonists.  The  Adam  and  Queen  Anne 
styles  were  also  adapted  to  the  new  use  in 
the  same  way  that  the  others  were  —  by 
eliminating  all  unnecessary  ornament  and 
strengthening  the  lines  and  proportions  so 
that  they  should  fit  into  the  plain  and  prim- 
itive life  of  the  new  world.  For  this  reason 


90  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

colonial  and  sixteenth  century  furniture  may 
easily  be  used  in  the  same  room.  Their 
close  relation  in  origin  makes  them  fit  in  well 
together. 

French  furniture  is  not  so  suitable  for  liv- 
ing room  use.  It  is  too  ornate,  too  elaborate 
French  in  the  early  styles,  and  too  delicate 
Furniture  'm  the  iater  productions,  for  the 
everyday  life  of  a  household.  It  is  better 
used  in  formal  reception  rooms.  French 
furniture  is  usually  much  more  expensive 
than  English  and  colonial  furniture,  for  only 
the  most  expert  craftsman  can  reproduce 
French  motives  and  styles  with  a  truly 
aesthetic  accuracy.  This  again  is  another 
reason  against  using  it  in  the  living  room. 
Good  colonial  furniture  is  comparatively 
inexpensive  because  of  the  greater  ease  with 
which  it  may  be  practically  evolved. 

Some  reproductions  of  early  Italian  furni- 
ture are  also  very  fine  in  the  modern  living 
Italian  room.  There  is  a  certain  strength  of 
Furniture  }me  anj  solidity  of  structure  found 
in  the  productions  of  the  Italian  Renaissance 
which  partakes  of  the  spirit  of  the  present 
times,  and  gives  promise  of  a  more  general 
use  in  our  house  furnishings  in  the  future. 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     91 

In  arranging  the  furniture  of  the  living 
room  in  order  to  obtain  the  result  of  occult 
balance,  there  should  be,  as  in  a 

,    .       ,  .  •      i     i     How  to 

room  arranged  in  bisymmetnc  bal-  obtain 
ance,  an  axis  which  centers  the  inter-  Occult 

11  1-11  r     i       Balance 

est  and  about  which  the  rest  of  the 
furniture  is  grouped.  In  a  dining  room, 
the  axis  of  interest  is  always  the  table,  which 
should  be  invariably  placed  in  the  center  of 
the  room.  In  the  living  room  the  axis  of 
interest  is  very  seldom  placed  in  the  center, 
but  is  at  one  side  or  at  one  end  of  the  room. 
A  well-proportioned  fireplace  is  perhaps  the 
most  usual' and  most  successful  main  point 
of  interest  for  the  living  room.  A  large 
table  with  a  reading  lamp  and  an  easy  chair 
may  serve  equally  well,  or  a  piano  in  daily 
use  may  prove  the  dominant  note  to  give 
occult  balance  to  the  point  of  interest  in  a 
room.  All  other  furnishings  should  be  sub- 
ordinate to  that  interest,  but  should  be  so 
placed  as  to  balance  in  seeming  weight.  If  a 
grand  piano  is  placed  at  one  end  of  a  room, 
there  should  be  several  groups  of  lesser  in- 
terest at  the  other  end  of  the  room  so  that 
the  weight  of  the  piano  will  seem  balanced. 
In  a  room  which  is  poorly  arranged  in  this 


92  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

way  there  is  a  feeling  of  tipping  given,  which 
is  very  unpleasant.  A  large  tapestry  or  rug 
hung  upon  the  wall  opposite  a  heavy  fireplace 
will  often  preserve  a  sense  of  balance,  or 
even  a  single  bowl  of  flowers  properly  placed 
in  the  room  may  give  the  secondary  interest 
needed. 

Comfort  should  be  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance in  furnishing  the  living  room.  The 
chairs  should  be  inviting  and  restful 
and  should  be  so  placed  as  to  be 
equally  desirable  for  reading  in  the  daylight 
or  evening  hours.  Wherever  possible,  table 
lights  should  always  be  used,  as  the  glow  of  a 
reading  lamp  is  second  only  in  creating  the 
homelike  atmosphere  to  the  hearth  fire  itself. 
Only  big  restful  pictures  which  every  member 
of  the  family  enjoys  should  be  placed  upon 
the  walls,  and  the  draperies,  rugs,  and  furni- 
ture should  reflect  the  character  of  the  people 
who  use  them.  The  best  of  its  kind  should 
be  there,  but  nothing  too  good  for  daily  use 
should  ever  be  placed  in  a  living  room,  for 
it  should  be  the  most  used  room  in  the  whole 
house,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the 
library,  if  the  house  be  the  home  of  people 
much  given  to  reading  or  study. 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     93 

The  library  should  have  the  same  spirit  of 
repose  as  the  living  room,  but  at  the  same  time 
should  be  furnished  in  a  manner  to  The 
give  greater  dignity  and  solidity.  Libraiy 
The  interest  in  the  room  should  center  en- 
tirely about  the  books,  for  which  the  room 
exists.  Unless  there  are  many  books  it  is 
ridiculous  to  name  the  room  in  which  they 
are  placed  a  library.  If  there  is  only  one 
small  case  of  volumes,  it  might  better  find  its 
home  in  the  living  room.  So,  too,  a  library 
the  walls  of  which  are  lined  with  many  books 
behind  locked  doors  is  wrongly  named.  It 
is  an  affectation  hardly  better  than  the  rooms 
of  certain  people  of  past  times  who  filled  their 
shelves  with  beautifully  bound  dummies. 
Indeed  it  is  questionable  if  the  glass-inclosed 
bookcases,  even  though  the  key  be  perma- 
nently lost,  can  ever  equal  the  open  bookcase 
in  the  spirit  of  ready  companionship.  The 
literary  friends  seem  slightly  removed  and 
the  slight  effort  of  opening  a  door  to  reach 
them  seems  to  place  them  apart  to  a  certain 
extent.  The  glass-inclosed  bookcase  is,  of 
course,  much  more  sanitary,  and  the  life  of 
precious  volumes  is  lengthened  by  the  ab- 
sence of  the  daily  grind  of  dust,  so  there  is  a 


94  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

/ 

conflict  between  the  practical  and  the  aes- 
thetic in  the  minds  of  the  householder  who 
would  have  the  best  kind  of  a  library  in  his 
home. 

Bookcases  which  are  built  into  the  walls  as 
a   part   of   the   house   are   of   course   always 

best.     They  should  be  of  the  same 
Bookcases     r    .  ,  .  .         .  ,         . 

finish    as    the   woodwork    and   take 

their  part  as  a  feature  of  the  architectural 
construction.  In  many  homes,  however,  a 
room  is  taken  for  library  use  which  had  been 
originally  intended  for  some  other  purpose. 
It  is  then  that  bookcases  as  pieces  of  furniture 
must  be  used.  There  are  many  cases  on  the 
market  both  with  and  without  doors  which 
are  built  on  lines  of  antique  and  modern  de- 
signs. Perhaps  the  most  satisfactory  shelves, 
however,  are  given  by  the  sectional  bookcases, 
of  which  there  is  now  a  great  variety.  They 
are  manufactured  after  designs  conforming 
to  every  style  of  period  furniture  and  in  all 
possible  woods  and  finishes.  Although  the 
sections  fitted  together  take  up  slightly  more 
room  than  the  single  bookcases,  there  is  the 
advantage  that  additional  sections  may  be 
added  from  time  to  time  as  books  accumulate. 
The  architectural  structure  of  the  room  may 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     95 

also  be  followed  easily  and  sections  may 
successfully  be  fitted  underneath  windows 
and  in  odd  places  where  large  cases  could 
not  be  placed.  Where  cases  of  either  kind 
are  used  in  the  library,  they  should,  as  pieces 
of  furniture,  be  matched  by  the  rest  of  the 
furniture  in  the  room  in  wood,  finish,  and 
style. 

Only  the  most  dignified  styles  of  furniture 
should  be  used  in  the  library ;  furniture  hav- 
ing rather  strong  and  heavy  lines. 
Sheraton    and    Hepplewhite    pieces,  suitable 
for  example,  are  too  dainty,  as  is  also  *?* the 
furniture  of  the  Louis  XVI  period. 
The  designs  of  the  time  of  Louis  XV  are  also 
unsuitable    because    of    ornate    decorations, 
but  some  of  the  heavier  furniture  of  Louis 
XIV    has    been    successfully    used    for    this 
purpose.     Chippendale,    Queen    Anne,    Wil- 
liam and  Mary,  Jacobean,  and  some  of  the 
Adam   styles  are   all  very  well  adapted  for 
library  use,  and  designs  following  the  spirit 
of  the  early  Italian  and  Spanish  models  are 
admirable.     Colonial  furniture  is  always  cor- 
rect, as  indeed  it  is  for  almost  any  room  in 
the   house,   because   of   its   many   variations 
in  shape  and  style. 


96  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

There  should  be  great  simplicity  in  the  fur- 
nishing of  the  library.  In  the  center  of  the 
room  there  should  be  a  substantial 
table  covered  with  a  flat  mat  which 
does  not  slip,  or,  better  still,  with  no  covering 
at  all.  On  the  table  there  should  be  a  good 
reading  lamp,  and  to  it  there  should  be  drawn 
up  comfortable  chairs  placed  so  that  the  light 
will  be  good  for  reading  in  either  daylight  or 
evening  hours.  Beyond  the  addition  of  a 
foot  rest  or  two  and  possibly  one  small  side 
table  and  several  straight  chairs  there  should 
be  no  other  furniture  in  the  room.  On  the 
walls  there  may  be  one  or  two  fine  large 
engravings  —  the  portrait  of  some  noted 
thinker,  or  the  replica  of  some  great  archi- 
tectural triumph.  Above  the  fireplace  there 
might  be  the  bust  of  one  of  the  early  phi- 
losophers, or  something  else  which  would 
reflect  the  interests  of  the  persons  who  find 
their  inspiration  in  the  books  which  the  room 
shelters.  There  should  be  no  "pretty 
things,"  no  bric-a-brac,  to  destroy  the  dig- 
nity of  the  room  and  to  take  away  from  its 
essential  feeling  of  repose  and  seclusion. 

The  bedrooms  of  the  home  should  also 
have  a  feeling  of  repose  and  seclusion,  but 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     97 

here  there  need  not  be  such  an  atmosphere 
of  dignity.  Gay-colored  chintzes  may  be 
hung  at  the  windows,  the  most  frivo-  The 
lous  of  French  furniture  is  often  Bedroom 
not  too  dainty  or  too  ornate,  and  the  indi- 
vidual tastes  of  the  occupant  of  the  room 
should  be  reflected  in  every  detail  of  the 
furnishing  until  the  room  seems  a  personal 
part  of  its  owner.  To  many  older  men  and 
women  of  rather  puritanical  ideas,  the  colonial 
furniture  of  our  forefathers  seems  most  ap- 
propriate, the  simple  lines  of  the  Queen  Anne 
and  the  sturdy  style  of  Chippendale  may 
reflect  the  character  of  some  other  indi- 
viduals, while  the  dainty  carving  of  Hepple- 
white  or  the  dresden  loveliness  of  Louis  XVI 
seems  often  the  very  embodiment  of  the  spirit 
of  the  daughter  of  the  household.  As  a  usual 
thing,  each  bedroom,  being  a  distinct  unit  in 
itself,  should  contain  only  one  type  of  furniture, 
that  type  selected  with  reference  to  the  user. 

When  there  are  several  guest  rooms,  they 
may   each   be   furnished   in   different   styles, 
styles  to  suit  various  types  of  per-  Types  of 
sonalities,  but  where  the  home  is  so  J^e*" 
small    as   to   boast   only   one   guest  Bedroom 
room,    this    room    should    be    furnished    in 


98  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

one  safe  style,  such  as  colonial  or  English, 
which  would  be  fairly  appropriate  to  any 
guest.  The  dainty  white  guest  chamber  with 
furniture  of  very  slender  lines  may  be  lovely 
for  the  girl  guest,  but  the  man  who  is  forced 
to  spend  a  night  in  a  room  furnished  in  that 
fashion  must  feel  sadly  out  of  place. 

The  furnishings  of  the  whole  house  should 
first  reflect  and  conform  to  the  spirit  of  the 
The  Use  of  members  of  the  household,  but 

Furniture  should  then  be  planned  with  a  cer- 
to  Express  .  r  •  j  •  r  1 

Person-       tain  amount  of  consideration  for  the 

ality  guests    and    friends    of   the   family. 

The  home  of  the  members  of  a  family  is  the 
outward  expression  of  their  personality,  a 
manifestation  of  their  good  will,  coopera- 
tion with,  and  courtesy  toward,  each  other 
as  close  relatives  and  toward  those  of  the 
outside  world  who  enter  at  times  into  the 
home  circle. 

REFERENCES 

DE  WOLFE,  ELSIE 
The  House  in  Good  Taste. 

The  Century  Company,  New  York,  1913. 
Reproductions,  Chapter  XVII. 
Arrangement,  Chapter  XI. 
Suitability,  Chapter  II. 


MODERN  PERIOD  FURNITURE  AND  ITS  USE     99 

McCLURE,  ABBOTT,  AND 
EBERLEIN,  HAROLD  DONALDSON 
House  Furnishing  and  Decoration. 

McBride,  Nast  &  Company,  New  York,  1914. 

Arrangement,  Chapter  XV. 
PARSONS,  FRANK  ALVAH 

Interior  Decoration,  Its  Principles  and  Practice. 

Doubleday,  Page  &  Company,  Garden  City,  N.  Y.,  1915. 
Balance,  Bisymmetric  and  Occult,  Part  I,  Chapter  III. 
ROBINSON,  L.  EUGENE 
Domestic  Architecture. 
The  Macmillan  Company. 

Planning  and  Arrangement,  Chapter  XII. 
WRIGHT,  RICHARDSON 

Inside  the  House  of  Good  Taste. 

McBride,  Nast  &  Company,  New  York,  1915. 
Comfort,  p.  i. 
Personality,  p.  97. 

NOTE.  —  The  furniture  of  the  various  periods  described  in 
the  two  foregoing  chapters  is  shown  in  the  following  illus- 
trations : 

ADAM  Illustrations  facing  pages  86,  90 

AMERICAN  EMPIRE  Illustration  facing  page  21 

CHIPPENDALE  Frontispiece  and  illustrations  facing 

pages  74,  76,  87 
COLONIAL  Illustrations  facing  pages  91,  no, 

in 

GEORGIAN  Illustration  facing  page  120 

HEPPLEWHITE  Illustrations  facing  pages  34,  77,  90 

JACOBEAN  Illustrations  facing  pages  43,  87 

QUEEN  ANNE  Illustration  facing  page  7 

SHERATON  Illustrations  facing  pages  20,  75,  133 

WILLIAM  AND  MARY       Illustrations  facing  pages  6,  34,  42, 

90,  145 


CHAPTER  VIII 

FURNITURE  OF  MODERN  DESIGN 

A  Reflection  of  the  Spirit  of  To-day  —  Different  Styles 
which  may  be  Purchased  and  Their  Use  in  the 
Home  —  Rugs,  Upholstery,  and  Wall  Coverings 
which  Harmonize. 

PERIOD  furniture  is  not  adapted  to  the  use 
of  all  people.  There  are  some  persons  of 
Furniture  very  modern  feeling  to  whom  the 
iflfct  spi1"^  of  the  furniture  of  bygone 
the  Spirit  days  does  not  seem  at  all  appro- 
Pretent  priate  for  use  to-day.  They  want 
Day  something  which  is  to  them  more 

up-to-date,  more  truly  American.  For  them 
there  is  a  modern  type  which  is  admired 
and  used  by  a  great  number  of  people  who 
feel  the  need  of  an  inexpensive  yet  pleasing 
kind  of  furniture. 

The    mission    furniture     originated     some 

The  Origin  tnirt7  7ears  ag°  m  a  l'^^  mission 
of  Mission  church  in  California.  The  church 
Furniture  wag  an  Bumble  frame  structure  and 

the   chairs    made    for    it   were    of    the   sim- 


FURNITURE  OF  MODEN  .- 

plest,  straight-line  construction  possible.  Be- 
cause they  were  so  simple  they  seemed  to 
possess  an  element  of  beauty,  and  the  public 
soon  recognized  this  fact  and  called  for  other 
straight-line  designs  in  inexpensive  furniture. 
Furniture  makers  all  over  the  country  aban- 
doned, to  some  extent,  the  manufacture  of 
much  ornate,  fantastically  carved,  light  oak 
furniture,  and  bent  their  energies  toward  the 
making  of  straight-lined  dark-stained  mission 
furniture.  Many  of  the  designs  were  too 
heavy,  were  lacking  in  a  fine  sense  of  pro- 
portion, but  much  of  the  furniture  was,  and 
still  is,  good. 

Mission    furniture  is    often    wrongly  used, 
however.     Many  people  forget,  or  are  igno- 
rant of,  the  fact  that  this  style  of 
furniture  was  originally  designed  for  useof°per 

the     bungalow     type     of     building,  Mission 

i  i  i         i       r    i  •     Furniture 

where  the  woodwork  of  the  rooms  is 

on  plain  lines  and  is  stained  the  same  tone 
as  the  furniture.  While  mission  furniture 
may  seem  very  much  at  home  in  a  western 
house,  it  may  be  entirely  out  of  place  in  a 
house  of  the  middle  west,  and  surely  would 
be  incongruous  in  a  colonial  mansion  of  the 
east. 


102  ;ltiT£RIOR  DECORATION 

Where  mission  furniture  is  well  adapted  to 

the  home  in  which  it  is  placed,  great  care 

should  be  taken  in  selecting  the  rest 

Furnish-      of  the  furnishings.     Plain  walls  are 


ings  which    best  with   mission  furniture.      If  fig- 
Harmonize  .  •   11       J 

ured  wall  covering  is  especially  de- 

sired, however,  only  that  having  a  very  con- 
ventional pattern  should  be  selected.  No 
attempt  at  daintiness  should  be  made  in  a 
room  with  this  type  of  furniture.  The  side 
hangings  at  the  windows  should  be  non-trans- 
parent, of  firm  weave,  and,  if  figured,  should 
be  of  geometric  design.  Some  of  the  newer 
types  of  domestic  rugs  are  more  suitable  for 
use  with  mission  furniture  than  oriental  rugs. 
Oriental  rugs  carry  with  them  the  spirit  of 
the  past  and  so  are  not  appropriate  for  use 
with  furniture  of  a  distinctly  modern  type. 
The  plain  Wiltons  with  shaded  borders  are 
often  used,  but  the  texture  of  the  many  differ- 
ent makes  of  Scotch  rugs  seems  most  fitting. 
Craftsman  furniture  is  an  outgrowth  of 
mission  furniture.  The  public  soon  tired  of 
Craftsman  so  much  straight-lined,  heavy  furni- 
Fumiture  ture.  People  called  for  designs  re- 
taining all  the  good  qualities  of  the  mission 
furniture,  but  adding  a  feeling  of  grace  and  a 


(Furniture  designed  by  Helen  Speer,  reproduced  through  the  courtesy  of  The  House  Beautiful) 
THIS  PLAYROOM  Is  LARGE,  LIGHT,  AIRY,  AND  SIMPLY  FURNISHED, 
BUT  THE  ROCKER  HAS  ARMS  WITH  DANGEROUSLY  SHARP  ELBOWS. 


(Furniture  designed  by  Helen  Speer,  reproduced  through  the  courtesy  of  The  House  Beautiful) 
A  "BABY  PEN"  WITH  CHINESE  COUNTERS  THAT  WOULD  AFFORD  ENDLESS 
AMUSEMENT,  AND  A  HOBBY-HORSE  THAT  LOOKS  AS  SPORTIVE  AS  HE  Is  SAFE. 


FURNITURE  OF  MODERN  DESIGN  103 

certain  degree  of  delicacy.  This  demand  the 
manufacturers  succeeded  in  meeting  in  many 
charming  instances.  The  shops  are  now  filled 
with  modern  furniture,  much  of  which  is  really 
beautiful.  Sometimes  this  furniture  is  of 
entirely  new  design.  More  often  each  piece 
is  a  successful  composite  of  many  antique 
motifs,  so  blended  that  an  entirely  new  idea 
seems  to  have  been  originated.  Some  of  this 
craftsman  furniture  is  heavy  and  substantial 
looking,  some  is  dainty  and  graceful.  In  all 
designs,  however,  there  is  a  distinct  lack  of 
unnecessary  ornament,  and  the  charm  depends 
entirely  upon  the  extreme  simplicity.  Much 
of  this  furniture  is  very  inexpensive  and  fills 
a  national  want  for  people  of  limited  means. 
As  with  mission  furniture,  the  most  simple 
draperies,  rugs,  and  wall  coverings  should  also 
be  used  with  craftsman  furniture.  . 

Consistent 

With  some  of  the  more  delicate  de-  Use  of 


signs,  however,  daintier  backgrounds 
are  permissible  in  the  rooms  where  Wall 
they  are  placed.  Coverings 

The  principles  upon  which  both  mission 
and  craftsman  furniture  are  based  are  honesty 
and  simplicity.  The  wood  is  of  the  best 
quality  and  the  workmanship  must  be  exact, 


104  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

as  any  imperfections  are  at  once  noticeable 
in  furniture  of  such  simple  lines.  White  oak 
Honesty  '1S  Senera^7  used,  and  in  three  different 
and  tones,  a  soft,  light  brown,  a  rich,  nut 

Simplicity     krowrij  ancj  a  delicate  silvery  gray. 

Table  tops  are  sometimes  covered  with  hard 
leather,  and  soft  leather  cushions  are  often 
used  in  chairs  and  settles.  As  with  period 
furniture,  the  mission  and  the  craftsman 
types  will  never  go  out  of  style  because  they 
in  themselves  represent  a  new  American  period 
of  design  based  upon  natural  lines  which 
give  comfort  and  durability,  adapted  to  the 
lives  of  the  great  class  of  people.  There  is 
little  chance  for  change  in  this  style  in  the 
years  to  come,  for  it  is  impossible  to  get  far 
away  from  the  structural  lines  which  give  the 
purpose  and  use  of  each  piece,  and  the  propor- 
tions which  best  serve  that  purpose  and  use 
are  the  proportions  which  it  should  have. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  "straight  line" 
furniture  on  the  market  which  are  also  some- 
what upon  the  mission  order,  and  were  prob- 
ably first  inspired  by  the  early  western  de- 
signs. Furniture  of  this  type  comprises  pieces 
which  are  well  made,  of  good  proportions,  and 
equally  possible  for  use  in  kitchen,  office,  or 


FURNITURE  OF  MODERN  DESIGN  105 

living  room.  The  dignity  of  their  simple 
lines  makes  them  harmonious  in  any  setting 
which  is  not  elaborate. 

Cottage  furniture  is  of  much  the  same  type, 
but  here  there  is  more  of  an  attempt  to  make 
it  artistic.  It  is  sometimes  enam-  cottage 
eled,  and  painted  with  delicate  gar-  Furniture 
lands  in  conventional  designs,  or  the  natural 
wood  is  used,  stained  in  several  different 
shades,  and  oiled.  Many  of  the  chairs  in 
natural  wood  are  modifications  of  the  old 
Windsor  style.  This  furniture  is  really  in- 
spired by  the  furniture  of  our  grandparents 
but  is  often  more  beautiful  than  the  old 
pieces.  It  fits  well  a  demand  for  a  certain 
type  of  furniture  which  is  inexpensive  and  is 
at  the  same  time  very  dainty.  Rag  rugs  are 
generally  used  with  this  kind  of  furniture,  with 
plain  walls  of  delicate  tints  and  old-fashioned 
chintz  hangings  at  the  windows,  with  the 
same  chintz  used  for  cushions. 

Willow  furniture  is  another  class  which  is 
very  popular  and  which  has  a  distinct  use  in 
many   modern   homes.     Because   of  wniow 
its  solid  comfort,  artistic  effect,  and  Furniture 
great  durability  it  is  a  great  favorite  with 
many    people.     It    should    be    remembered, 


I06  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

however,  in  using  it,  that  it  is  of  a  distinctly 
informal  type.  No  room  in  which  it  is  used 
could  be  very  stiff  and  dignified.  It  is  very 
cheerful,  however,  and  one  of  its  good  points 
is  that  it  may  be  used  upon  the  piazza,  left 
out  in  the  rain  even,  and  still  may  be  refinished 
to  look  as  good  as  new  with  either  paint  or 
enamel. 

A  more  luxurious  furniture  of  much  the 
same  kind  is  made  of  prairie  grass.  The 
Grass  weave  of  this  furniture  is  usually  very 
Furniture  close,  the  fibers  well  woven  together 
to  withstand  hard  usage.  It  is  very  attrac- 
tive ;  and  comfortable  chairs,  settees,  tables, 
and  stools  may  be  found  in  great  variety. 

No  indoor  room  except  the  sun  parlor  should 
ever  be  furnished  with  either  willow  or 

prairie    grass    furniture    exclusively. 
The  Use  of   \.  ,  °  ,  .     ,.    .  ,      .J 

Willow        Although     each    piece    individually 

and  Grass  mav  be  beautiful,  a  whole  room 
filled  with  chairs  and  tables  of  this 
type  gives  an  effect  of  monotony  and  coldness. 
One  or  two  willow  or  grass  chairs  may  be  used 
in  an  informal  living  room.  Combined  with 
mahogany  they  give  very  satisfactory  results. 
White  or  colored  willow  is  also  charming  used 
with  enameled  furniture  of  the  same  shade. 


FURNITURE  OF  MODERN  DESIGN  107 

The  same  precaution  should  be  observed  in 
the  buying  of  willow  or  grass  furniture  as  in 
that  of  any  other  class.  It  is  best  A  _ 

%  .         APrecau- 

always  to  be  sure  that  the  article  tionforthe 
is  well  made  and  of  good  material,  Purchaser 
and  to  remember  that  it  is  more  wise  to  pur- 
chase one  chair  which  will  stand  the  test  of 
years  of  wear,  than  to  purchase  three  badly 
constructed  ones.  The  prevailing  styles  made 
by  the  most  reliable  manufacturers  should  all 
be  studied  before  a  selection  is  finally  made. 

REFERENCES 
CLIFFORD,  C.  R. 
Period  Furnishings. 

Clifford  &  Lawton,  New  York,  1915. 
Mission  Furniture,  p.  223. 
Arts  and  Crafts  Furniture,  p.  224. 
L'Art  Nouveau  Furniture,  p.  217. 
ELDER-DUNCAN,  J.  H. 
The  House  Beautiful  and  Useful. 

John  Lane  Company,  New  York,  1907. 

Modern  Furniture,  Chapter  V. 
THROOP,  LUCY  ABBOT 

Furnishing  the  Home  of  Good  Taste. 

McBride,  Nast  &  Company,  New  York,  1912. 

Craftsman  Furniture,  p.  159. 
WALLICK,  EKIN 

Inexpensive  Furnishings  in  Good  Taste. 

Hearst's  International  Library  Co.,  New  York,  1915. 
Willow  Furniture,  Chapter  X. 


CHAPTER  IX 

FURNITURE  WOODS 

Mahogany — Oak — Ash  —  Red  Gum  —  Walnut  —  Ma- 
ple —  Beech  —  Birch  —  Rosewood  —  Veneered 
Furniture. 

THE  essential  points  which  should  be  con- 
sidered in  the  purchasing  of  furniture  for  the 
home  are  comfort,  lightness,  and  strength. 
Comfort  and  lightness  are  largely  matters  of 
design,  but  the  strength  and  durability  of  a 
piece  of  furniture  is  mainly  due  to  the  selection 
of  the  wood  of  which  it  is  constructed.  The 
highest  skill  may  have  gone  into  the  making 
of  an  individual  chair  or  table  —  the  different 
parts  may  have  been  so  joined  that  the  whole 
structure  has  become  one  piece,  but  if  the  wood 
appropriate  for  the  use  has  not  been  chosen, 
the  careful  workmanship  has  been  wasted. 
The  prospective  buyer  of  household  furniture, 
then,  should  have  some  idea  of  the  general 
characteristics  of  the  more  commonly  used 
woods  so  that  he  may  have  some  independent 
knowledge  to  supplement  information  given 
by  dealers. 

108 


FURNITURE  WOODS  109 

Probably  the  best  known  of  all  the  furni- 
ture woods  is  mahogany.     It  is  so  well  known 

that  a  description  of  its  appearance 

rpu  Mahogany 

is  unnecessary.  The  most  expen- 
sive and  best  known  of  the  mahoganies  is  the 
Spanish.  The  cheapest  wood  of  this  variety 
is  the  Honduras,  or  the  Baywood,  as  it  is  com- 
monly called.  The  Spanish  mahogany  comes 
from  the  West  Indies  and  is  very  beautifully 
figured.  The  Honduras  mahogany  has  little 
attractive  marking  and  is  a  much  softer  wood 
than  the  Spanish  mahogany.  However,  it 
is  usually  free  from  knots  and  other 
defects  and  is  well  adapted  for  furniture- 
making  where  plainness  is  not  objection- 
able. Compared  with  the  finer  varieties  of 
this  wood,  the  grain  is  rather  open  and  coarse, 
but  it  is  used  for  much  of  the  less  expensive 
furniture  and  is  often  employed  for  the 
foundation  work  in  veneered  furniture  of  fine 
quality  and  for  the  backs  of  cabinets  or  other 
parts  which  are  not  generally  exposed  to 
view.  There  are  many  varieties  of  ma- 
hogany, ranging  from  the  finest  to  that  cost- 
ing little  more  than  the  best  pine.  It  is  all 
good  furniture  wood  and  takes  a  high  degree 
of  finish. 


1 10  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

Oak,  like  mahogany,  is  so  well  known 
that  a  description  is  not  necessary.  Oaks 
of  all  kinds  are  becoming  quite  ex- 
pensive and  are  now  used  with  care 
which  would  have  astonished  our  colonial 
forefathers,  to  whom  oak  was  the  common- 
est building  material.  White  Oak  is  the 
strongest,  toughest,  and  most  durable.  It  is 
characterized  by  its  figure,  which  consists  of 
hard,  glossy  marks  unlike  those  in  any  other 
wood.  Brown  Oak  is  considered  the  choicest 
of  all  the  different  varieties.  It  is  very  hard, 
closely  marked,  and  the  best  grade,  which  is 
called  the  Pollard,  is  much  used  for  veneers. 
The  lighter  oaks  are  often  successfully  stained 
to  imitate  Brown  Oak.  Red  Oak  is  another 
variety  which  is  used  often  in  cabinet  work. 
It  costs  about  the  same  as  White  Oak,  but  is 
usually  of  coarser  texture,  is  more  porous,  less 
durable,  and  is  often  brittle. 

Another  wood  which  years  ago  was  consid- 
ered very  common  and  is  now  classed  among 
the  most  expensive  varieties  of  furni- 
ture materials  is  Black  Walnut.     It 
is  of  coarse  texture,  but  is  heavy,  hard,  stiff, 
and   very   strong.     The   narrow   sapwood   is 
whitish  and  the  heartwood  is  chocolate  brown. 


FURNITURE  WOODS  III 

The  wood  is  durable  and  takes  a  good  polish, 
and  is  so  handsome  that  it  has  become  the 
favorite  cabinet  material  in  this  country.  Al- 
though, in  colonial  days,  Black  Walnut  was 
also  used  as  an  ordinary  building  material, 
it  has  now  become  so  scarce  that  at  the  pres- 
ent time  it  is  too  expensive  for  most  furniture, 
and  is  employed  largely  as  a  veneer.  Be- 
cause of  its  strength  and  elasticity  walnut 
is  especially  desirable  for  gunstocks,  and 
the  recent  demand  for  the  wood  for  this  pur- 
pose both  at  home  and  abroad  has  consider- 
ably reduced  the  available  supply. 

There  is  a  very  valuable  wood  which  is  used 
as  a  veneer  commonly  known  as  Circassian 
Walnut.  It  is  not  a  walnut  at  all, 
but  is  an  ash  called  by  the  name  of 
Hungarian  Ash.  It  is  very  beautiful,  with 
fine  markings  ranging  in  color  from  white  to 
a  medium  shade  of  brown.  When  it  is  used 
as  a  veneer,  poplar  is  generally  the  foundation 
wood.  The  common  ash  is  a  very  different 
wood.  It  is  light  in  color,  tough  and  hard, 
with  somewhat  of  a  resemblance  to  oak.  As 
a  rule  there  is  almost  no  figure.  The  beauty 
of  the  common  ash  is  considered  to  consist 
mainly  in  its  color,  which  is  unusually  light, 


112  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

and  for  this  reason  it  is  especially  popular  for 
bedroom  furniture. 

Three  other  woods  which  are  suitable  for 
dainty  bedroom  furniture  are  Maple,  Beech, 
Ma  le  and  Birch.  Birch  is  more  beautiful 
Beech,'  than  ash  because  of  its  figuring, 
which  is  similar  in  character  to  the 
figure  in  mahogany.  For  this  reason  it  is 
often  stained  to  an  excellent  imitation  of  that 
wood.  Beech  is  a  similar  wood  and  is  often 
also  stained  to  imitate  mahogany  or  rose- 
wood. Furniture  of  maple  rivals  that  of  oak. 
The  wood  is  heavy,  hard,  strong,  and  tough, 
and  of  fine  texture.  It  is  frequently  wavy- 
grained,  giving  rise  to  attractive  "curly" 
and  "blister"  figures  of  a  creamy  white,  with 
shades  of  brown  toward  the  heart. 

Although  the  majority  of  woods  are  char- 
acterized by  their  grain  or  peculiar  figure,  Rose- 
wood may  be  identified  by  its  remark- 
able fragrance.    There  is  probably  no 
other  wood  which  is  so  often  imitated  and  sold 
as  the  genuine.   The  color  is  a  dark  red  or  brown 
with  strong  markings  of  a  much  deeper  tint. 

Red  Gum  is  a  comparatively  new  wood  in 
furniture  manufacture.  It  is  a  rather  heavy 
wood,  soft,  quite  stiff  and  strong,  tough, 


FURNITURE  WOODS  113 

commonly  cross-grained  and  of  fine  texture. 
It  is  being  used  in  large  quantities  the  past 
few  years  to  take  the  place  of  the 
less    abundant   oak,  and  is   popular 
because  of  its  beautiful  grain  and  because  of 
the  fine  finish  which  it  takes. 

Because  of  the  scarcity  of  the  best  woods, 
much  of  the  furniture  of  the  present  day  is 
veneered.  A  cheaper  grade  of  wood  veneered 
is  used  for  the  foundation  and  the  Wood 
surface  is  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  more 
expensive  wood  applied  with  glue  under 
strong  pressure.  By  the  use  of  a  veneer  rich- 
appearing  furniture  may  be  manufactured 
at  comparatively  small  cost,  and  very  beauti- 
ful effects  may  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  small 
and  very  rare  pieces  of  timber.  Veneering 
also  keeps  out  the  dampness  from  the  inner, 
and  usually  more  porous,  wood  of  which  the 
furniture  is  constructed. 

When  veneer  is  employed  in  preference  to 
solid  wood  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  the 
cost  of  production,   it  is  often  the 
case  that  a  piece  of  furniture  made  Sive  ve- 

principally    of    pine    may    look    as  neered 
i         i  -r  •  i        r       ,.  i    Furniture 

handsome  as  if  it  were  made  of  solid 

wood  of  the  more  expensive  kind.     For  prac- 


114  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

tical  purposes  it  is  entirely  satisfactory  and 
provides  really  good-looking  furniture  for 
people  of  moderate  means.  The  practice  of 
veneering  furniture  may  be  regarded  as  a 
means  of  placing  beautiful  objects  within  the 
reach  of  those  who  could  not  otherwise  afford 
them.  If  the  wood  serving  as  the  foundation 
is  good  and  sound,  free  from  knots  and  cracks, 
and  if  the  veneer  is  applied  with  careful  work- 
manship, there  can  be  no  valid  objection  to 
work  of  this  class.  Of  course  it  should  be 
sold  for  what  it  is. 

Not  all  veneered  furniture  is  less  expensive 
than  the  solid,  however.  A  fine  veneer  is 
Veneered  more  valuable  than  the  solid  wood 
Furniture  of  which  is  less  beautifully  figured. 
High  Grade  jhe  rarest  pj.^^  or  Italian  walnut 

is  sometimes  veneered  on  mahogany,  as  it  lasts 
better  in  this  condition  than  if  it  were  solid, 
and  large  surfaces  and  thicknesses  of  walnut 
are  difficult  to  procure  in  perfect  condition. 
Very  precious  woods  such  as  ebony  or  satin 
wood  can  only  be  obtained  in  small  quantities, 
and  other  woods  of  especially  handsome  grain 
are  cut  from  roots  and  excrescences  of  the  trees 
which  have  produced  unusual  conditions  of 
growth. 


FURNITURE  WOODS  115 

In  addition  to  the  cost  of  materials  there 
is  the  labor  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  for 
good  veneering  requires  careful  work.  TheFoun- 
A  valuable  veneer  is  usually  laid  on  dationWood 
an  expensive  wood  as  a  foundation,  and  this 
unnecessary  cost  in  manufacture  adds  to  the 
price  of  the  finished  product.  For  example, 
a  choice  Spanish  veneer  is  often  applied  to 
mahogany  of  a  less  beautiful  grain.  In  the 
making  of  reliable  furniture  great  care  is 
taken  by  the  manufacturers  in  the  selection 
of  wood  which  is  to  be  veneered  upon  to  be 
sure  of  successful  results.  The  foundation 
wood  is  dry  and  free  from  all  imperfections. 
Honduras  mahogany  is  considered  the  best 
wood  for  the  purpose,  but  Yellow  Pine,  White- 
wood,  and  oak  are  often  satisfactorily  used. 

Whenever  possible,  both  sides  of  the  ground 
wood  are  veneered  to  prevent  warping,  and  the 
veneer  used  on  either  side  is  of  the 

,  111       The  Proper 

same  grain  and  strength,  so  that  the  Appiica- 
tension  of  the  one  side  counteracts  ^on  of 
the  tension  of  the  other.     When  only 
one  side  of  the  foundation  wood  is  veneered,  it 
is  laid  on  the  heart  side,  or  the  side  of  the  wood 
which  lies  nearest  to  the  center  of  the  tree 
before  it  is  cut. 


Il6  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

There  are  many  other  facts  which  should  be 
learned  before  the  amateur  buyer  could  hope 
to  be  able  always  to  detect  imitations  and 
frauds  in  the  furniture  which  is  offered  for 
sale.  Even  though  the  purchaser  may  have  a 
certain  knowledge  of  woods,  veneers,  and  con- 
struction, the  best  safeguard  against  imposi- 
tion is  in  the  choice  of  a  reliable  manufacturer 
and  a  reputable  dealer.  Furniture  bearing 
the  stamp  of  a  well-known  firm  which  is 
carried  by  a  dealer  who  offers  it  for  sale  at  a 
fair  price  is  apt  to  prove  to  be  what  it  seems. 

REFERENCES 

HOUGH,  R.  B. 

American  Woods. 
NOYES,  WILLIAM 
Wood  and  Forest. 

Manual  Arts  Press. 
ROBINSON,  L.  EUGENE 
Domestic  Architecture. 

The  Macmillan  Company. 
SNOW,  C.  H. 

The  Principal  Species  of  Wood. 
Wiley  and  Sons. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  FIREPLACE  IN  THE  HOME 

^Esthetic  Value  —  Historical  Significance  —  Period 
Styles  —  Arrangement  of  Furniture  about  Fire- 
place —  Materials. 

THE  history  of  the  fireplace  is  very  closely 
connected  with  the  history  of  furniture  and  it 
is  hardly  possible  to  study  the  vari-  Period 
ous  phases  of  the  one  without  not-  styles  in 
ing    parallel    similarities    of    design  FirePlaces 
and    construction    in   the  other.      Each   art 
period  had  its  own  characteristics  which  were 
shown  in  the  design  of  the  furniture  and  the 
fireplace  of  that  time  alike,  so  they  seemed 
harmonious  and  belonged  together. 

To-day  we  are  living  in  an  age  in  which 
people  are  trying  to  select  the  best  points  of 
all  past  art  periods  and  adapt  them  Fife  Jace 
to  their  own  use.     It  is  here  that  the  should 


great  danger   lies.     Many  a   house- 
holder  who  has  been  entirely  con-  and  Fur- 
sistent  in  the  selection  of  furniture 
and  in  the  treatment  of  walls  and  floors,  fails 

117 


Il8  INTERIOR   DECORATION 

absolutely  in  the  choice  of  a  suitable  chimney 
piece  which  will  accord  with  the  general 
scheme  of  decoration.  Gothic  mantels  are 
placed  in  rooms  furnished  in  Adam  style, 
Italian  hearths  are  obliged  to  dwell  with 
French  furniture,  and  Renaissance  fireplaces 
are  set  up  in  modern  halls.  An  utter  disre- 
gard is  often  to  be  observed  in  a  suitable  rela- 
tion between  the  fireplace  and  the  rest  of  the 
furnishings  of  the  room. 

The  fireplace  should  first  seem  a  part  of 
the  architectural  plan  of  the  room.  It 
should  appear  to  grow  out  of,  or, 
theArchi-  rather,  into,  the  wall  itself.  Fire- 
tecturai  places  may  project  into  the  room, 
Structure  •  i  •  u  11  -ru 

or  sink  into   the  wall.      They   may 

have  large  ornamental  hoods  or  mantels,  or 
may  be  decorated  by  applying  some  sort  of 
flat  ornamentation  to  the  wall  space  above  the 
opening.  They  may  have  chimney  pieces  of 
stone,  brick,  metal,  or  wood,  but  in  each  and 
every  case  the  lines  should  follow  the  lines 
of  the  wall  moldings  and  should  embody  in 
structure  and  design  the  dominant  idea  of  the 
room. 

No  matter  how  informal   the  rest  of  the 
room  may  be,  the  fireplace  should  always  pos- 


THE  FIREPLACE  IN  THE  HOME  119 

sess  great  dignity.  Any  useful  object  is 
always  dignified,  to  a  certain  extent,  and  the 
fireplace  is  fundamentally  useful. 
The  first  fireplaces  stood  in  the  center  lgmty 
of  the  room  and  the  smoke  passed  through  a 
hole  in  the  roof.  It  was  a  thing  of  use  rather 
than  of  beauty.  Since  that  time  every  age 
has  had  its  manner  of  building  and  naturally 
has  developed  a  certain  kind  of  ornamentation 
which  served  to  emphasize  the  idea  of  use. 
The  French  developed  one  style  of  fireplace, 
the  Italians  developed  another,  and  the  Eng- 
lish still  another,  but  each  followed  the  rules 
which  governed  the  period  in  which  it  was 
built  and  at  the  same  time  never  forgot  the 
idea  of  its  functional  purpose. 

The  idea  of  use  was  still  uppermost  in  the 
minds  of  the  first  settlers  who  came  to  this 

country.     The    fireplaces    built    by 

«.i,         u  j  j  utaity 

those  brave   and   sturdy  men  were 

homely,  substantial  structures,  and  the  spirit 
kindled  by  the  glow  from  such  a  hearthstone 
should  be  preserved  by  the  people  of  our 
nation  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  artis- 
tic and  aesthetic  legacies  handed  down  by  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers.  Some  of  the  older  genera- 
tion to-day  still  treasure  as  their  most  sacred 


120  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

memory  the  mental  picture  of  the  big  country 
kitchen  of  their  childhood  home,  with  its  great 
stone  fireplace  and  oven  of  bricks.  They 
can  even  yet  see  the  housemother's  figure 
moving  briskly  from  fireside  to  table,  tending 
the  roasting  of  the  goose  or  turkey  for  the 
Thanksgiving  dinner  and  preparing  the  in- 
variable pumpkin  and  mince  pies. 

The  fireplace  was  the  heart  of  the  home  in 
those  days  and  in  the  centuries  before.  It 
The  Center  was  the  necessary  feature  of  the 
of  interest  house  and  was  always  present  until 
the  time  when  stoves  and,  later,  furnaces 
were  introduced.  For  many  years  after  that 
time  fireplaces  were  entirely  disregarded  in 
the  average  home.  They  were  no  longer 
necessary,  they  were  dirty  and  required  a 
great  amount  of  attention,  so  it  was  natural 
that  the  people  of  a  nation  which  prides  itself 
on  a  high  standard  of  efficiency  and  is  the 
greatest  promotor  of  labor-saving  devices 
should  turn  their  attention  away  from  the 
open  fire  and  rejoice  in  the  more  even  warmth 
and  greater  physical  comfort  of  hot-air  regis- 
ters and  steam  radiators.  The  new  houses 
which  were  built  were  constructed  without 
the  large  chimneys  necessary  for  fireplaces, 


THE  FIREPLACE  IN  THE  HOME  121 

and  the  owners  of  the  older  houses  containing 
fireplaces  often  boarded  up  the  openings 
into  the  chimneys  and  complacently  ad- 
justed a  permanent  fire  screen  or  a  huge  bowl 
of  autumn  leaves  to  fill  the  space. 

The  fact,  however,  that  a  lack  of  a  center 
for  the  room  was  felt,  even  in  those  days  of 
low  regard  for  the  open  fire,  was  substi- 
shown  by  the  way  in  which  houses  tutes 
were  often  constructed  with  a  mantel  in  each 
room,  even  though  the  chimney  were  lacking. 
These  disfiguring  structures  seemed  to  fill  the 
place  of  a  dominating  interest  in  the  room, 
an  object  toward  which  the  larger  chairs  in 
the  room  could  be  drawn  to  give  an  air  of  com- 
fort. It  was  the  semblance  of  the  hearth- 
stone, without  the  care  of  the  real  fire,  which 
the  people  wanted,  so,  as  time  passed,  the 
invention  of  the  gas  log  was  hailed  with  great 
joy.  It  was  considered  a  luxury,  it  is  true, 
but  it  was  also  a  labor-saving  device  in  the  way 
of  seeming  to  afford  all  the  pleasure  of  the  old- 
time  open  fire  at  no  expense  of  time  or  labor. 
The  insincerity  of  the  gas  log  did  not  trouble 
the  public  conscience  in  the  least,  and  this 
insincerity  was  reflected  in  the  cheap,  light 
oak  or  near  mahogany  mantels  which  were 


122  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

almost  universally  used  with  a  total  disregard 
for  the  fitness  of  things.  They  were  elabo- 
rately adorned  with  much  poor  machine 
carving  and  were  designed  in  the  fashion  of 
the  cheaply  constructed  furniture  which  was 
turned  out  in  large  quantities  at  that  time. 

Those  days  of  deception  are  happily  past  in 
the  matter  of  both  furniture  and  fireplaces. 

A  Ne  es  The  Pe°P'e  °f  our  nati°n  accord  the 
sary  old-f  ashioned  fireplace  the  position  in 

Luxury        tjie  nouse  of  a  necessary  luxury.     It 

has  again  been  made  the  center  of  interest  in 
the  living  room,  at  least,  and  fills  its  old-time 
station  of  family  altar.  It  has  come  back 
into  the  homes  to  stay  this  time  probably,  for 
the  true  lover  of  the  open  fire  will  never  be 
willing  to  again  give  up  the  companionship 
of  the  cheerful  blaze.  He  realizes  now  with 
renewed  interest  the  vital  and  extensive  influ- 
ence which  the  fireplace  has  had  in  the  progress 
of  civilization.  The  people  of  primitive  times 
believed  fire  to  be  a  gift  from  the  gods  and 
cherished  it  as  their  most  precious  posses- 
sion. A  fire  in  some  one  of  their  meeting 
places  was  never  allowed  to  go  out  and  was 
considered  the  token  of  a  connection  between 
mankind  and  the  spiritual  world.  It  is  natu- 


THE  FIREPLACE  IN  THE  HOME  123 

ral  that  through  the  centuries  during  which 
civilization  progressed,  much  sentiment  came 
to  be  attached  to  the  fire  which  the  savage 
forefathers  worshiped,  and  social  customs 
about  its  friendly  glow  replaced,  in  time,  the 
ancient  superstitious  rites.  Now  it  has  come 
to  mean,  to  the  people  of  all  nations,  home, 
physical  comfort,  and  spiritual  joy  and  con- 
solation. It  is  the  token  of  a  universal  fellow- 
ship. 

Much  can  be  accomplished  in  the  way  of 
extending   this    feeling   of   hospitality   which 
every   open   fire   gives,    by   the    ar-  Arrange- 
rangement    of   the    furniture    about  mentof 

t          ,  .  .  Tr     i  •     Furniture 

the  chimney  piece.  If  the  room  is  about  the 
small,  the  light  of  the  fire  should  be  Fireplace 
placed  with  regard  to  the  center  of  interest 
and  the  space  directly  before  the  fire  should  be 
kept  open  so  that  a  person  sitting  in  any  part 
of  the  room  might  be  able  to  watch  the  burning 
embers.  When  the  room  containing  the  fire- 
place is  quite  large,  however,  there  should  be 
an  entirely  different  arrangement  of  furniture. 
An  inclosed  area  should  be  formed  in  front  of 
the  fireplace  by  placing  several  pieces  of 
furniture  of  the  invitingly  comfortable  kind 
before  it.  A  large  davenport  may  be  placed 


124  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

in  front  of  the  fire  with  a  heavy  chair  at  either 
side,  or  a  reading  table  with  chairs  may  serve 
the  same  purpose.  The  fireplaces  of  long  ago 
usually  had  two  heavy  settles  built  at  right 
angles  to  the  fireplace,  one  on  either  side. 
This  was  doubtless  done  to  shut  out  the  cold 
air  of  the  room  and  keep  in  the  needed  warmth, 
but  at  the  same  time  the  arrangement  gave  a 
delightful  sense  of  privacy  and  coziness.  For 
this  reason  settles  are  sometimes  built  in  houses 
of  to-day,  or,  instead,  two  long  inviting  seats 
are  often  drawn  up  on  either  side  of  the  open 
fire,  close  to  the  radiating  warmth  and  cheer. 

Book  shelves  built  into  the  architectural 
structure  about  the  fireplace  add  much  to  the 
Book  beauty,  for 'the  woodwork,  if  wisely 
Shelves  used,  will  carry  out  the  general 
scheme  of  the  room,  and  the  bindings  of  the 
books  give  an  interesting  note  of  color.  It 
will  be  found  that  companionable  books  will 
have  a  double  lure  when  they  are  placed  within 
such  a  sheltered  nook. 

There  are  almost  as  many  materials  of  which 

it  is  possible  to  build  the  modern  fireplace  as 

there    are    styles    from    which    to 

Materials        ,  ,        ,     .  P  . 

choose  the  design  of  its  construction. 
The  style  and  material  of  the  house  itself  is 


THE  FIREPLACE  IN  THE  HOME  125 

of  first  consideration,  for  the  fireplace  must  of 
course  be  in  keeping  as  a  part  of  the  architec- 
tural whole.  The  local  environment  usually 
helps  to  decide  the  choice  of  material.  In 
some  parts  of  the  country  stone  blocks  and 
cobblestones  are  readily  accessible  at  small 
expense.  In  other  parts  of  the  country, 
brick  of  different  types  may  be  very  well  used, 
and  the  result  is  often  a  fireplace  of  permanent 
charm.  Concrete  is  often  effective,  and  tiles 
will  be  found  to  be  both  practical  and  artistic, 
for  they  can  be  had  in  many  soft  colors,  and 
are  suitable  for  the  hearth  or  chimney  breast 
or  both.  Some  mantels  are  made  of  paneled 
wood  and  are  very  dignified  reproductions  of 
those  of  the  early  days. 

Whatever  the  material  used,  the  greatest 
simplicity  of  construction  should  always  be 
followed.  There  should  be  an  en- 
tire absence  of  elaboration  of  de- 
tailed ornament  and  a  predominating  quality 
of  that  sincerity  which  is  essential  to  the  true 
home  spirit.  Fine  structural  lines  combined 
with  the  gay  reflections  in  the  brass  andirons 
and  the  ever  changing  firelight  itself  will 
create  a  place  of  peace  and  contentment  which 
will  not  fail  to  prove  a  gathering  place  for  the 


126  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

family  group  and  for  those  outsiders  who  have 
a  share  of  the  household  hospitality. 

REFERENCES 

FRENCH,  LILLIE  HAMILTON 
The  House  Dignified. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  The  Knickerbocker  Press,  New 

York,  1908. 

Fireplaces,  Chapter  IX. 
NORTHEND,  MARY  H. 

Colonial  Homes  and  Their  Furnishings. 
Little,  Brown  &  Company,  Boston,  1912. 

Mantelpieces,  Chapter  VI. 
POLLEY,  G.  HENRY 
The  Architecture,  Interiors  and  Furniture  of  American 

Colonies. 

George  H.  Policy  &  Co.,  Boston,  1914. 
Mantels,  Plates  3,  5,  7,  13,  20,  21,  22. 

RUMFORD 

Fireplaces  and  How  They  are  Made. 
William  T.  Comstode,  New  York,  1906. 
Construction,  Chapter  I. 


CHAPTER  XI 

ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING 

The  Importance  of  Artificial  Light  as  a  Part  of  a  Scheme 
of  Interior  Decoration  —  A  Brief  History  —  Period 
Styles  —  Arrangement  —  Colors  and  Materials  of 
Shades. 

IN  artistic  effect  the  artificial  lighting  of  our 
homes  has  also  kept  step  with  the  ups  and 
downs  in  the  history  of  furniture. 
In  the  eighteenth  century  and  before, 
in  that  period  of  furniture  making  which  has 
rightly  been  named  the  "golden  age,"  candles 
were  the  only  means  of  illumination.  The 
homes  of  that  time  were  beautiful  with  their 
exquisite  furniture  placed  in  surroundings  of 
the  same  general  style,  and  lighted  at  night 
by  candles  which  are  without  doubt  the  most 
charming  and  poetic  of  all  forms  of  lighting. 
In  these  houses  of  our  forefathers  there  was 
in  each  large  room  usually  one  chandelier 
of  exceptional  beauty  designed  to  hold  a 
double  row  of  candles  distributed  in  groups, 
suspending  myriads  of  crystal  pendants  which 

127 


\ 


128  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

caught  the  light  and  reflected  it  into  the  dark- 
est corner.  The  eye,  however,  was  never 
held  by  it,  for  around  the  room,  in  well-con- 
sidered places,  were  brackets  holding  other 
candles,  and  on  the  mantelpiece  and  tables 
were  also  numerous  candelabra  and  candle- 
sticks. In  this  way  there  was  a  general  dis- 
tribution of  illuminating  mediums  which  even 
in  their  utility  formed  harmonious  and  com- 
ponent parts  of  the  room,  essential  to  the 
scheme  of  decoration  and  adding  symmetry 
and  balance  to  the  whole  arrangement.  At 
the  same  time  each  fixture  gave  individual 
pleasure  as  a  work  of  artistic  design. 

The  next  phase  in  the  history  of  our  lighting 

medium  was  the  introduction  of  the  oil  lamps. 

Sometimes  these  lamps  were  beauti- 

Oil  Lamps     r   !  i  •  ,  i 

ful  and  sometimes  they  were  not, 
but  the  chief  interest  in  them  was  not  in  their 
design  but  in  their  utility.  They  gave  so 
much  better  light  than  candles,  it  was  so  much 
easier  to  read  or  to  sew  by  their  light,  that 
they  were  used  with  thankfulness  as  a  great 
comfort.  The  very  fact  that  they  were  con- 
sidered objects  of  use  rather  than  objects  of 
ornament  was  conducive  to  a  certain  amount 
of  beauty,  however.  The  lines  of  utility  are 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  129 

usually  simple  and  show  the  structural  form, 
and  this  in  itself  is  a  long  step  toward  the 
beautiful.  Any  object  which  is  severely 
plain,  having  no  decoration  at  all,  is  more 
harmonious  than  the  same  object  ornamented 
in  such  a  way  as  to  conceal  its  real  use.  The 
first  oil  lamps  were  without  shades,  but  read- 
ing lamps  with  plain  white  opaque  or  green 
shades  were  soon  introduced  and  generally 
used.  At  night,  when  one  of  these  reading 
lamps  was  placed  upon  the  table  it  spread 
a  circle  of  light  and  warmth,  a  glow  of  cozy 
friendliness  which  was  akin  to  the  spirit  of  the 
open  hearth  fire  and  rivaled  in  its  charm  the 
more  aesthetic  appeal  of  the  former  candle- 
light. 

People  were  so  interested  at  this  time  in 
the  comfort  and  efficiency  of  light  that  they 
did  not  seem  to  realize  the  value  of 
the  lamp  as  conducive  to  the  home- 
like atmosphere,  and  so  welcomed  with  great 
joy  the  introduction  of  gas  as  a  lighting 
medium.  Lamps  were  banished  and  were 
replaced  by  blazing  gas  jets,  suspended  by 
brass  chandeliers  from  the  center  of  the  ceiling 
in  each  room.  The  light  given  by  this  means 
was  usually  very  poor,  and  exceedingly  hard 


130  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

to  read  or  sew  by,  but  it  was  a  great  labor- 
saving  device  and  improvement,  and  no  house 
of  any  importance  was  considered  up  to  date 
without  a  gas  lighting  system.  Candles  were 
almost  completely  discarded  by  this  time  and 
lamps  were  found  only  in  the  poorest  homes 
in  the  city  or  in  the  country  where  gas  was  not 
available.  Even  on  the  farms  the  craze  for 
gas  became  so  great  that  acetylene  plants  were 
introduced,  which,  though  often  dangerous 
and  inefficient,  did  seem  to  be  an  improvement 
over  oil  lamps. 

It  was,  however,  not  long  before  the  discom- 
fort caused  by  the  glare  of  the  new  method  of 
lighting  came  to  be  felt  and  an  ef- 
fort was  made  to  soften  the  sharp 
brilliance  by  opaque  globes  and  silk  shades. 
The  lack  of  the  reading  lamp  was  felt  and  gas 
lamps  were  soon  placed  where  oil  lamps  had 
formerly  been  used.  The  plain  shade  used 
on  most  of  the  oil  lamps  did  not  seem  appro- 
priate to  gas  lamps,  unfortunately,  and  this 
led  to  silly  extravagances  in  the  way  of  silk, 
metal,  and  glass  shades.  Good  taste  was 
abandoned,  and  a  feeling  for  the  appropriate 
apparently  did  not  exist.  Flowers,  flounces, 
fringes,  and  beads  ornamented  the  lamps  of 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  131 

sedate  homemakers,  placed  in  rooms  other- 
wise furnished  in  accordance  with  classic  de- 
tail. The  gas  lamp  seemed  to  be  considered 
a  separate  unit,  unrelated  to  the  room  in  which 
it  was  placed. 

Fortunately  the  revival  of  a  desire  for  the 
more  quaint  form  of  lighting  fixture  has  come 

with  the  introduction  of  electricity 

,  ,      ,  ,     J     Electricity 

into  our  homes  or  the  present  day. 
The  renewed  interest  which  we  now  feel  in 
the  good  period  furniture  of  all  time  and  in 
the  best  modern  designs  is  reflected  in  the  de- 
sign of  artistic  lighting  fixtures.  The  study 
of  foreign  details,  and  the  reproduction  of 
period  furniture,  is  giving  us  saner  and  more 
artistic  methods  of  working  in  all  crafts,  is 
increasing  our  sensitiveness  to  the  small  things 
that  make  up  the  whole,  and  leading  us  to 
realize  the  necessity  of  expending  thought 
on  all  phases  of  home  decoration.  Efficiency 
in  the  matter  of  quality  and  quantity  of  light 
is  being  carefully  considered  all  of  the  time, 
but  in  attaining  that  end  a  regard  for  the 
beautiful  and  appropriate  is  also  exercised. 

In  the  evening  the  artificial  lighting  fix- 
tures are  the  most  important  of  all  the  furnish- 
ings of  the  room.  It  is  of  course  a  physiological 


132  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

fact  that  the  eye  is  attracted  invariably  by 

the  brightest  point  of  light.     If  this  greatest 

point   of   interest   is    inadequate    in 

Artificial        r  11.  .  i  .  i 

Light  as  structural  design  or  in  architectural 
cri^terest  arrangement,  there  is  a  loss  of  dig- 
in  the  nity  to  the  whole  scheme  of  dec- 
oration. Some  of  that  careful 
thought  and  planning  which  is  given  to  the 
illuminated  altar  in  the  church  should  be 
carried  into  the  home  as  well.  The  form, 
color,  and  design  of  the  lighting  fixtures 
should  all  reflect  and  be  in  keeping  with  the 
general  spirit  of  the  room. 

The  arrangement  of  the  lights  in  the  room 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  in  the  general 
Arrange-  effect.  Some  very  large  rooms  fur- 
ment  nished  in  the  formal  style  of  Louis 
XIV,  XV,  or  XVI  are  suitably  lighted  by  the 
use  of  chandeliers  suspended  from  the  ceil- 
ing. Most  of  the  rooms  in  modern  homes, 
however,  are  better  lighted  by  side  lights  and 
by  lamps  placed  in  carefully  considered  places 
about  the  room.  The  side  lights  should  be  so 
placed  that  they  form  a  part  of  the  architec- 
tural plan  of  the  room,  and  should  emphasize 
the  principal  feature  of  interest.  In  the  liv- 
ing room,  for  instance,  if  there  is  a  fine  fire- 


LIGHTING  FIXTURES  MAY  FOLLOW  THE  STYLES 
OF  THE  VARIOUS  TYPES  OF  PERIOD  FURNITURE. 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  133 

place,  it  is  most  natural  to  strengthen  its 
appeal  by  the  use  of  lighting  fixtures  placed 
upon  either  side.  In  the  dining  room  the 
buffet  seems  to  become  a  structural  part  of 
the  room  when  it  is  dignified  by  a  pair  of 
formal  sconces.  In  the  bedrooms  the  most 
logical  place  for  lights  is  of  course  on  either 
side  of  the  dressing  table.  These  side  lights 
should,  of  course,  be  balanced  in  all  rooms  by 
other  lights,  but  each  illuminated  spot  should 
have  a  distinct  use  and  reason  for  being,  other 
than  merely  giving  forth  light. 

When  lamps  are  used  they  should  be  placed 
with  the  same  strict  regard  for  proper  position 
as  with  side  lights.    They  should  al- 
ways be  arranged  to  call  attention  to  Lamps 
especially  attractive  pieces  of  furni-  f^0^4 

i  ^  r  r        •     be  Placed 

ture  or  to  decorative  groups  of  furni- 
ture, although  they,  at  the  same  time,  may  serve 
the  purpose  of  comfort  for  reading  or  sewing. 
In   these  days   of   reawakened   interest  in 
interior  decoration,   people  now  deliberately 
plan  for  an  effect  by  the  use  of  lamps 
which     their     grandfathers     uncon-  thetic  S 

sciously    achieved.      The    glow    of  Value  of 
,  11.  11       the  Lamp 

warmth  and  cheenness  cast  by  the 
evening  lamp  gives  to  the  living  room  at  the 


134  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

end  of  the  day  what  the  burning  logs  in  the 
fireplace  gave  in  the  morning  hours  —  an 
almost  spiritual  center  which  attracts,  not  only 
the  members  of  the  family,  but  the  casual 
guest  as  well.  To  successfully  give  this 
effect,  the  light  must  be  subdued  and  softened 
to  the  proper  value  by  the  use  of  truly  artistic 
shades.  These  shades  are  not  the  grotesque 
affairs  used  on  the  gas  lamps  of  some  time  ago. 
They  no  longer  look  like  ornate  garden  hats 
or  flounced  petticoats.  They  are  designed  to 
fit  in  with  the  furnishings  of  the  room  in  color, 
texture,  and  style. 

Different  rooms  and  different  uses  require 
different  colors  given  by  the  shading  of  the 
lamps  and  lights.  For  reading  or 
sewing  a  soft  green  is  considered  by 
many  people  to  be  the  most  restful  hue,  but 
others  can  do  good  work  only  in  a  faintly  yel- 
low glow.  Lights  screened  by  shades  in  the 
various  tones  of  rose  are  unquestionably  the 
ones  best  suited  to  all  festive  occasions,  if 
the  color  is  not  too  brilliant  in  intensity. 

Different  materials  may  be  used  for  shades, 

depending  upon  the  decorative  style 
Materials         ,^  ,  ~,.  .,,  i 

of   the   room.     China   silk   may    be 

shirred  on  to  a  wire  frame  and  finished  with 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  135 

a  simple  gimp,  and  decorated  silks  of  the 
heavier  variety  are  also  often  used  stretched 
plain  upon  the  frame.  For  rooms  fitted  up 
in  mission  style  a  more  severe  type  of  shade 
should  be  used  made  of  Japanese  basketry 
or  of  art  glass  in  single  hue  and  shaded  effects. 
Parchment  or  even  heavy  water-color  paper 
can  often  be  used  for  the  same  purpose  with 
astonishing  success.  A  small  amount  of  in- 
genuity, only,  is  needed,  to  make  charming 
shades  of  all  sizes  at  very  little  cost,  and  there 
is  almost  nothing  in  the  line  of  household 
furnishings  for  which  merchants  ask  such 
large  prices  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  the 
materials  used  in  their  construction. 

As  with  shades,  so  also  a  sense  of  appro- 
priateness should  be  strictly  regarded  in  the 
choice  of  lighting  fixtures  with  refer-  peri  d 
ence  to  the  particular  type  of  furni-  styles  in 
ture  used   in   the   room.     A   period  Fixtures 
room  should  have  the  lights  with  their  shades 
in   the   same   period  of  design.     In   a   room 
furnished  in  the  spirit  of  the  period  of  Louis 
XVI    the    lighting    fixtures    should    be    very 
dainty   and    graceful.     If    there   are   shades, 
they    may    be    very    fragile     and    delicate, 
trimmed    with    tinsel    and    garlanded    with 


136  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

ribbon  flowers.  Often,  however,  the  most 
beautiful  effects  are  gained  without  shades, 
when  tiny  electric  bulbs  are  placed  upon  the 
tips  of  candle-like  supports.  This  plan  of 
lighting  is  especially  effective  for  the  side 
lights  in  the  dining  room,  with  shaded  electric 
candles  for  the  table,  and  is  equally  suitable 
for  the  French,  English,  and  colonial  periods, 
although  the  standards  of  the  fixtures  would 
vary  with  the  structural  design  of  the  fur- 
niture with  which  it  is  used.  Jacobean  and 
Chippendale  should  be  rather  heavy  in  shape  ; 
Hepplewhite,  for  example,  would  again  call 
for  more  delicate  metal  work.  Straight-lined 
metal  and  wood  fixtures  are  now  manufac- 
tured to  carry  out  the  Craftsman  and  Mis- 
sion ideas,  and  even  in  wicker  and  grass 
there  are  lamps  to  correspond  with  the  fur- 
niture. 

Great  care  should  always  be  exercised  in 
deciding  upon  the  style,  color,  and  arrange- 
Theim-  ment  of  the  lights  of  each  room, 
A^n-c!  °f  for  ft  is  possible  to  make  or  mar 

Artificial  *  m     t 

Light  as  a    the    complete    artistic    effect    of    a 

s^emVrf  home  by  the  attention  or  lack  of 
interior  attention  which  has  been  given  to 
Decoration  illuminating  system. 


ARTIFICIAL  LIGHTING  137 

REFERENCES 
DE  WOLFE,  ELSIE 
The  House  in  Good  Taste. 

The  Century  Company,  New  York,  1913. 

Lamps  and  Sidelights,  Chapter  VIII. 
HERTS,  B.  RUSSELL 

The  Decoration  and  Furnishing  of  Apartments. 
G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York,  1915. 

Fixtures,  Part  II,  Chapter  IX. 
NORTHEND,  MARY  H. 

Colonial  Homes  and  Their  Furnishings. 
Little,  Brown  &  Company,  Boston,  1912. 

History,  Chapter  XIII. 
PARSONS,  FRANK  ALVAH 

Interior  Decoration,  Its  Principles  and  Practice. 

Doubleday,  Page  &  Company,  Garden  City,  N.  Y.,  1915. 

Methods  of  Lighting,  pp.  266-268. 
WALLICK,  EKIN 

Inexpensive  Furnishings  in  Good  Taste. 
Hearst's  International  Library  Co.,  New  York,  1915. 
Lamps  and  Lamp  Shades,  Chapter  VII. 


CONCLUSION 

Interior  Decoration  as  Art  —  How  Knowledge  of  the 
Subject  may  be  Gained  —  Suitability  of  Each 
Room  and  of  the  House  as  a  Whole  to  Its  Use  — 
Sincerity  in  the  Outward  Expression  of  the  Owner's 
Personality. 

THE  practice  of  interior  decoration  is  in 
reality  merely  the  exercise  of  common  sense 

interior  *n  Te^Si^on  to  applied  art  —  a  rec- 
Decoration  ognition  of  relative  values  and  a 
strict  feeling  of  proportion.  Com- 
mon sense  or  good  judgment  can  only  be 
had,  however,  with  a  certain  amount  of 
experience  through  which  knowledge  of  the 
subject  has  been  gained. 

People  in  general  do  not  sufficiently  realize 
that  some  positive  knowledge  is   absolutely 

Knowied  e  necessarv  ^or  tne  making  of  a  suc- 
mustbe  cessful  plan  for  the  furnishing  of 
Gained  ^^  Qwn  homeS4  There  may  be 

some  fortunate  individuals  born,  who  are 
endowed  at  the  beginning  with  a  compre- 
hension of  balance,  symmetry,  and  rhythm, 

138 


CONCLUSION  139 

who  instinctively  have  a  feeling  for  the  har- 
monious beautiful,  but  these  especially 
favored  beings  are  few  and  far  between, 
at  least  among  the  people  of  this  country. 
Most  Americans  are  not  naturally  alive  to  a 
strong  feeling  for  art.  There  has  been  no 
place  for  it  in  their  busy,  money-making 
lives,  and  it  is  only  recently  that  they  have 
awakened  to  any  feeling  of  lack.  So  the 
artistic  common  sense  which  the  Americans 
of  to-day  exercise  must  be  derived  in  its 
standards  largely  from  the  inherited  knowl- 
edge of  bygone  days  when  a  love  of  art  for 
art's  sake  was  the  instinctive  possession  of 
even  the  most  humble  people. 

There  are  two  ways  to  accumulate  these 
inheritances.  The  first  and  best  is  by  travel- 
ing, by  seeing  in  the  various  coun- 
tries the  best  art  treasures  of  all 
ages,  in  their  natural  environment.  The 
collections  in  the  great  museums  and  in 
some  of  the  best  shops  in  this  country  are 
certainly  worth  attention,  but  they,  after 
all,  are  only  collections  and  can  never  give 
the  inspiration  which  the  occasional  object 
of  beauty  gives  in  its  native  setting.  The 
average  citizen  of  the  United  States  may  see 


140  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

nothing  in  the  palaces  abroad  which  he  could 
possibly  copy  in  his  own  home,  but  he  can 
gain  general  ideas  of  fundamental  lines  of 
beauty  from  them,  and  turn  to  the  smaller 
chateaux  of  France  and  the  manor  houses 
of  England  for  specific  inspiration  and  for 
ideas  in  the  furnishing  of  his  own  home. 
These  smaller  places  exhibit  the  good  taste 
and  high  standards  of  the  royal  mansions 
without  that  extravagance  and  lavishness 
which  is  unsuitable  in  every  way  to  the 
average  modern  house.  Many  people  who 
have  made  a  careful  study  of  period  furni- 
ture are  disappointed  in  the  general  effect 
which  they  have  achieved  by  its  use  in  their 
own  homes,  but  they  have  made  the  mistake 
of  feeling  that  beauty  depends  upon  mag- 
nificence and  so  have  copied  the  furnishings 
for  their  simple  homes  from  too  luxurious 
models.  The  result  is  a  lack  of  proportion 
which  cannot  help  but  be  strikingly  bad 
taste. 

The  other  way  of  gaining  knowledge  in 
the  art  of  interior  decoration  is  by  the  study 
Historical  of  art  in  its  relation  to  house  fur- 
study  nishings,  and  the  effect  that  the 
history  of  the  world  has  had  upon  it.  The 


CONCLUSION  141 

underlying  reasons  for  the  changes  in  styles 
of  furniture  is  learned  in  this  way,  and  so  a 
greater  interest  is  felt  in  each  style.  When 
it  is  known  that  Marie  Antoinette  was  very 
young  when  she  became  the  bride  of  Louis 
XVI,  that  she  disliked  the  court  pomp  and 
preferred  to  play  as  a  child  at  the  simple  life 
of  a  shepherdess  with  a  garlanded  crook  and 
pretty  watering  pot,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
that  the  new  royal  taste  must  have  had  a 
great  influence  in  the  transition  period  from 
the  rococo  to  the  classical  ideas  of  decoration. 
When  it  is  known  that  hoop  skirts  were  uni- 
versally worn  in  the  eighteenth  century,  it  is 
also  easy  to  understand  why  settees  were 
made  in  such  great  numbers  and  why  the 
chairs  were  designed  with  such  wide-spread- 
ing arms.  Every  style  in  furniture  had  its 
relation  to  cause  in,  and  relation  to,  some  his- 
torical event  or  influence  which  produced  a 
type  of  interior  decoration  well  suited  to  its 
day  of  creation,  but  perhaps  not  at  all  suited 
to  modern  use.  In  this  study  of  the  causes 
and  effects  in  the  art  of  house  furnishings, 
some  of  that  sense  of  proportion,  of  the  fit- 
ness of  things,  may  be  gained  in  a  most  pleas- 
ant manner. 


142  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

The  persons  who  have  made  a  parallel 
study  of  period  furniture,  decorations,  and 
The  Proper  history  will  be  most  apt  to  link  the 
Adaptation  interior  decoration  of  their  homes 

of  Styles  .  i       ,  r          i  •  i 

of  Past        with  the  style  of  architecture  used 

Modern         at  the  time  °f  building-      Tne7  wil1 

Use  not    place    mission    furniture    in    a 

colonial  house  and  will  not  install  chande- 
liers of  the  Louis  XVI  period  in  a  bungalow. 
Also,  if  they  do  furnish  their  homes  with 
the  style  of  furniture  which  the  architecture 
calls  for,  they  will  not  slavishly  copy  all  the 
modes  and  mannerisms  of  another  time, 
some  of  which  must  be  entirely  out  of  key 
with  the  life  and  materials  of  to-day.  They 
will  realize  that  not  all  the  creations  of  the 
past  are  good,  and  will  be  able  to  pick  out 
those  qualities  which  are  most  beautiful  and 
best  suited  to  the  present  environment.  At 
the  same  time  they  will  do  some  consistent 
designing  in  the  spirit  of  the  period  or  pe- 
riods of  decoration  which  they  wish  to  employ, 
keeping  in  mind  the  details  of  historic  orna- 
ment in  its  scale  and  surface  relation,  but 
employing  their  American  inventive  facul- 
ties in  the  use  of  expressive  qualities  and 
adaptations  to  accord  with  modern  life. 


CONCLUSION  143 

The  function  of  the  house  as  a  whole 
should  be  carefully  considered  before  the 
furnishings  are  selected.  There  is  suitability 

nothing    more    unsuitable    than    a  ofthe 

.  ,  .  .        House  as 

house  with   a  very   simple   exterior  a  Whole 

filled  with  furniture  of  a  luxurious  to  its  Use 
type,  and  in  the  same  way  people  should 
adapt  their  homes  to  their  own  mode  of  life 
or  they  will  not  be  at  home  in  their  environ- 
ment. A  house  should  be  neither  more  nor 
less  expensively  furnished  than  the  means  of  the 
householder  warrants.  The  rule  of  proportion 
applies  to  the  relation  between  the  tenant  and 
his  home  as  strictly  as  to  interior  decoration. 
As  the  function  of  the  house  as  a  whole 
must  be  considered,  so  must  the  function  of 

each  room  be  carefully  determined   . 

11         1  11-  f  AConsid- 

and  expressed  by  the  assembling  or  erationof 

the  articles  of  use  and  of  ornament  J^^Jf110" 
within  it.     The  use  for  which  it  is  Each  Room 
intended   should   be   kept    in   view,  S^ceof 
and  there  should  be  a  real  under-  Fumish- 
standing  of  its  needs.     When  a  room  mgs 
conforms  to  the  needs  of  some  person  who 
spends  many  hours  within  its  four  walls,  it  can- 
not help  but  reflect  that  person's  individuality. 
The  successful  interior  decorator  is  the  one 


144  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

who  becomes  really  acquainted  with  his 
client  and  in  so  doing  finds  out  his  likes 
and  dislikes,  his  faults  and  idiosyncrasies,  so 
that  he  can  place  himself  in  the  mental  state 
of  his  client  and  provide  furnishings  which  are 
suitable.  So  the  man  who  is  decorating .  his 
own  rooms  should  purchase  for  his  use  only 
those  things  which  he  really  likes  and  which 
seem  truly  useful  to  himself,  but  he  should  be 
guided  by  the  general  rules  of  beauty  and 
proportion  so  that  the  result  shall  be  pleasing. 
A  There  are  certain  essential  features,  such 
as  the  background  values,  the  arrangement  of 

the  furniture  to  give  proper  balance, 
Essentials  ,  ,  ,  .  r  i  i  i 

and  the  placing  oi  the  larger  decora- 
tions, which  must  conform  to  general  rules, 
but  personal  taste  should  always  be  regarded 
in  the  colors  and  the  objects  of  chief  interest, 
such  as  the  choice  of  pictures  or  of  the  style 
of  furniture. 

The  room  should  be  the  outward  expres- 
sion of  the  spiritual  and  mental  attributes 
The  Rooms  °f  ^s  occupant,  and  this  expression 
as  the  may  often  be  given  in  the  most 

Expression  ,  .  i         i       r    r  • 

of  Per-  simple  ways,  by  a  bowl  of  favorite 
sonaiity  flowers,  by  a  few  pieces  of  treasured 
pottery,  or  even  by  a  bird  cage  hanging  in 


CONCLUSION  145 

the  sunlit  window.  Anything  which  is  a 
part  of  the  daily  life  may  be  made  to  fit  into 
the  whole  scheme  of  decoration,  and  these 
necessary  articles  should  be  used  to  gain 
desired  effects  instead  of  many  useless  orna- 
ments. With  the  exception  of  a  very  few 
pieces  of  real  beauty,  all  bric-a-brac  should 
be  placed  upon  a  high  shelf  out  of  sight.  In 
fact,  a  general  rule  might  be  formulated  to 
eliminate  almost  all  beautiful  things,  which 
are  not  distinctly  useful  in  their  environment, 
for  an  object  which  is  not  useful  is  somewhat 
out  of  place  and  is  therefore  lacking  in  that 
proportion  which  is  one  of  the  elements  of 
beauty. 

Each  room  in  a  house  should  express  com- 
fort. The  colors  in  the  bedrooms  should  be 
of  just  the  right  hue  and  value,  to 
permit  rest  and  sleep,  the  desks  and 
tables  for  writing  should  be  of  a  convenient 
height  and  placed  in  a  good  light,  and  the 
various  chairs  should  be  of  a  shape  and  size 
adapted  to  the  people  who  are  to  use  them 
and  should  be  absolutely  comfortable.  If 
the  furniture  is  at  first  not  well  arranged  for 
convenient  use,  the  laws  of  structural  arrange- 
ment will  be  found  to  be  elastic  enough  for 


146  INTERIOR  DECORATION 

a  shifting  about  until  each  article  is  in  the 
right  place  to  do  its  own  work  in  the  most 
efficient  manner.  In  this  way  a  homelike 
effect  is  gained  which  is  instantly  felt  by 
any  one  who  enters  the  room.  It  then  seems 
at  first  glance  to  be  a  place  which  is  lived  in, 
an  environment  which  is  conducive  to  mental 
and  spiritual  growth  and  physical  comfort. 

Since  no  two  people  and   no  two  family 

groups    are   ever   alike,    no   two   real   homes 

can  have  the  same  atmosphere  or 

Sincerity  ,  .  .  . 

can  give  the  same  impressions  to  the 
people  who  come  into  them  from  without. 
Ideally  each  home  should  be  the  manifes- 
tation of  the  owners'  interpretation  of  the 
worth-while  things  of  life  and  should  express 
his  attitude  toward  the  world  by  his  sincerity 
in  the  use  of  details  in  his  scheme  of  interior 
decoration  which  shows  his  true  personality. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


SHOWING  THE  ORDER  OF  PERIOD  STYLES  FROM  THE  BEGINNING 
OF  THE  RENAISSANCE  TO  THE  IQTH  CENTURY 


ENGLAND 

FRANCE 

SOVEREIGN 

STYLE 

REMARKS 

STYLE 

SOVEREIGN 

1o 
1 

Henry  VIII 
1509-1547 

Tudor 

3 
N 

3 

About  the  Duration 
of  the  Renaissance 
Period  in  Other 
Countries 

Italy 
1443-1564 

French  Renaissance  Periods 

Francis 
Premier 

Francis  I 
1515-1547 

Elizabeth 
1558-1603 

Eliza- 
bethan 

Henri 
Deux 

Henry  II 
1547-1559 

jj 

James  I 
1603-1625 

Jacobean 

Francis  II 
1559-1560 

Charles  I 
1625-1649 

Germany 
1525-1620 

CharlesIX 
1560-1574 

* 

Commonwealth 
1649-1660 

Flemish  and  Dutch 
1520-1634 

Henry  HI 
1574-1589 

Charles  n 
1660-1685 

James  II 
1685-1688 

Spain  and  Portugal 
1500-1620 

Henri 
Quatre 

Henry  IV 
1589-1610 

«& 

William 
and 
Mary 
1688-1702 

William 
and 
Mary 

Other  European 
Countries 
1500-1630 

Louis 
Treize 

LouisXIII 
1610-1643 

Anne 
1702-1714 

Queen 
Anne 

Barocco  Styles 
Beginning  of  the 
Rococo 

Louis 
Quatorze 

LouisXIV 
1643-1715 

George  I 
1714-1727 

Chippen- 
dale 

Hepple- 
white 

Adam 
Sheraton 

£ 

Chippendale's  book, 
"  The      Gentleman's 
and   Cabinetmaker's 
Director,"  published 
1754,    and    a    later 
edition  1762. 

1 

Louis 
Quinze 

Louis  XV 
1715-1747 

George  n 
1727-1760 

Hepplewhite's  book 
"The  Cabinetmaker 
and       Upholsterer's 
Guide,"  1789. 

' 

Louis 
Seize 

LouisXVI 
1747-1793 

George  HI 
1760-1820 

R.  and  J.  Adam 
1750-1790 

Empire 

Napoleon 
1793-1814 

Sheraton's      book 
"The  Cabinetmaker 
and       Upholsterer's 
Drawing  Book,"  was 
published  in  1791.  A 
later  edition  in  1812 

Reprinted  from  How  to  Know  Period  Styles  in  Furniture  by  W.  L.  Kimerly,  by  per- 
mission of  The  Grand  Rapids  Furniture  Record  Co. 


INDEX 


Adam  style,  76,  86,  90 
^Esthetic   influence  of    the    fire- 
place, 122 
^Esthetic  influence  of  the  home, 

sp 

American  furniture,  100-107 
Antique  furniture,  61-79 
Antique  rugs,  57 
Architectural  proportions,  4-13 
Arrangement,  91-93,  145 
Art  applied  to  the  home,  xx,  77 

Backgrounds,  2 
Balance,  87 

Bedroom  furniture,  96-98 
Bisymmetric  balance,  87-88 
Black  walnut,  iio-in 
Blue,  5 

Bookcases,  94-95 
Bric-a-brac,  145 

Cabriole  leg,  73 

Carpets,  figured,  47 

Carpets,  plain,  47 

Carpets  versus  rugs,  46 

Ceiling,  wall,  and  floor,  rule  for,  24 

Chair  placing,  66 

Chairs,  Dutch,  73-74 

Chairs,  English,  73-77 

Chairs,  Flemish,  68 

Chairs,  French,  70-73 

Chairs,  Italian,  67 

Chairs,  Spanish,  68 

Chimney  piece,  the,  115-125 

Chinese-Chippendale,  74,  76 


Chippendale,   work    of    Thomas, 

74-75,  87 
Classic  details,  76 
Classic  restoration,  76,  89 
Colonial  furniture,  21,68,  91,  no, 

in 

Color,  6 

Color  and  personality,  3 
Colors,  cool  and  warm,  5 
Contrast,  3 

Craftsman  furniture,  102 
Curtain  hanging,  13-14,  18-19 
Curtain  materials,  16,  20-29 
Curtain  rods,  18 
Curtains,  12-29 
Curtains,  reasons  for,  12 

Decoration,  interior,  xix 
Decorators,  amateur,  xix 
Decorators,  professional,  xix 
Dining  rooms,  86-88 
Domestic  rugs,  38-48 
Doorways,  curtains  for,  27-29 
Dutch  furniture,  73-74 
Dutch  influence  on  Queen  Anne 
period,  73 

Education  in  interior  decoration, 

138-141 

Empire  furniture,  77-78 
English  furniture,  73-77 

Fireplace,  the,  117-125 
Fixtures,  lighting,  131-136 
Flemish  furniture,  68 
Floor  finishes,  3 1-37 


149 


INDEX 


Floor  value,  3 1 

Foundation,  the  floor  as  decora- 
tive, 31-32,  38-39 
Frames  for  pictures,  7 
French  influence  on  English  furni- 
ture, 77 

French  Renaissance,  67-68 
French  styles,  70-73 
Furniture     arrangement,     81-98, 

100-107,  138-139 
Furniture,  Cottage,  105 

Dutch,  73-74 

Empire,  21,  77 

English,  73-77 

Flemish,  68 

French,  70-73 

Italian,  67 

Mission,  101 

Spanish,  68 

Willow,  105 

Gas  illumination,  129-130 

Gas-lighting  fixtures,  130 

Gilded  furniture,  71-73 

Gold  color,  5-6 

Gothic  style,  64 

Grain,   the,  in  woodwork,    m- 

H3 

Green,  5 

Halls,  85-86 

Hanging,  the,  of  pictures,  8 

Hangings,  19-29 

window,  19-27 

door,  28-29 

Harmonious  forms,  13,  87 
Harmonious  tones,  23,  39 
Harmony  in  decoration,  29 
Hepplewhite  style,  34,  75~76,  77, 

90 

History    of     lighting    mediums, 
125-131 


History  of  period  furniture,  61-69 
Home   decoration,   principles  of, 

xx 

Home,  definition  of,  xviii 
Homelike  arrangements,   87,  93, 

98,  145,  146 

Ideals  of  home  making,  xviii 

Inconsistency,  98 

Individualism  in  home  decora- 
tion, xviii,  92,  98 

Individual's  color  needs,  the,  35 

Interior  decorators,  xix 

Italian  Renaissance,  65 

Italian  Renaissance  furniture,  66- 
90 

Jacobean  furniture,  43,  69,  87 
Japanese  prints,  9 
Japanese  toweling,  25 

Kitchen  floors,  35-36 

Lace  curtains,  21 

Lamps  and  lamp  shades,  133-136 

Landlord's  alterations,  2 

Library,  93-96 

Light  and  color,  5 

Lighting  the  house, 

candles,  127 

electricity,  131 

gas,  129 

lamps,  128 
Living  rooms,  88-93 
Louis  XIV  furniture,  70 
Louis  XV  furniture,  70-71 
Louis  XVI  furniture,  72-73 

Mahogany,  109 
Materials  for  curtains,  20-23 
Materials  for  floors,  31-37 
Materials  for  hangings,  23-29 


INDEX 


Materials  for  portieres,  26-28 
Mission  style,  100-102 
Modern  furniture,  100-107 
Motifs, 

classical,  76 

French,  70-73 

New  England  furniture,  69,  73- 

78 

New  Renaissance  in  America,  79 

Occult  balance,  91 
Oriental  rugs,  50-59 

Photographs,  8 
Picture  arrangement,  8-9 
Picture  frames,  7 
Picture  hanging,  IO 
Picture  selection,  9 
Portrait  placing,  8 

Queen  Anne  furniture,  7,  73 

Renaissance,  65 

Dutch,  68 

English,  69 

Flemish,  68 

French,  67 

Italian,  65-66 

Spanish,  68 
Restfulness  in  arrangement,  92- 

93 

Rococo,  72 

Rug  color,  plain,  42-43 
figured,  43-44 


Rug  design,  39-40 
Rug  harmony,  39-40 
Rug  placing,  41 
Rugs,  domestic,  38-40 
oriental,  50-59 

Shades  for  lamps,  133-135 
Sheraton  furniture,  20,  75,  76-77, 

133 

Simplicity  in  decoration,  104 
Sincerity,  146 
Spanish  style,  68 
Straight-line   furniture,   100-102, 

104-105 
Structural  lines,  101 

Tables,  antique,  63,  65-66 
Tapestries,  71 
Tapestry  placing,  10 
Temperament  and  color,  3,  6 
Transitorial  mediums,  23 

Upholstery,  27 
Utility  and  beauty,  143 

Wall,  ceiling,  and  floor,  rule  for,  24 

Wall  color,  56 

Wall  decorations,  6-10 

Wall  finishes,  6 

Warm  colors,  5 

White  woodwork,  7 

William  and  Mary  furniture,  6, 

34,  42/90,  145 
Window  hangings,  17-27 


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